After a series of controversies regarding Vasundhara Raje’s connection with Lalit Modi and claims by an advocate about black money transaction between Modi and Raje’s son, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday met her in Jaipur and said that the BJP as well as the central government are strongly behind her as “accusations” against her have “no substance”.
Gadkari also insisted that Raje had done no wrong and said that such issues should not be brought into politics.
“The allegations against Vasundhara Raje are baseless…. Vasundhara ji legally, logically, ethically is completely correct. There is no fault of hers anywhere,” the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister told reporters amid the raging row over the linkages of the Chief Minister and her son with Lalit Modi who is facing ED probe for alleged money laundering in an IPL tournament.
“These accusations have no substance. Doing this kind of politics is not right,” he said, adding “BJP, of the Centre, the state and the government is standing behind Vasundhara fully.
Advocate Poonam Chand Bhandari had earlier claimed that former IPL chief Lalit Modi transferred crores of rupees to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s son Dushyant Singh by using a fictitious company.
In a report by a news agency, Bhandari was quoted as saying, “Vasundhara Raje’s son Dushyant Singh and his wife Nihalika created a firm by the name Nihant Heritage Hotel Ltd. Rs 10 lakh was the official capital and they invested one lakh rupees, the price of the share was Rs. 10 (per share). Lalit Modi opened a company called Ananda Hotel Private Limited, he gave Rs three crore eighty lakhs unsecured loan to Nihant Hotel”.
“After that, he bought shares costing Rs 10 at Rs. 96, 190 (per share). It means that he diverted almost nine crore rupees plus three crore eighty lakh rupees of black money. These companies are fictitious, you won’t find them at the registered addresses,” Bhandari added.
Bhandari also stated that buying the shares at such inflated prices clearly show that black money was being transferred from one company to the other.
“These companies do not have any business, you won’t even find these companies; there is no profit or loss. Buying a Rs. 10 share at Rs. 96, 190 clearly indicates that black money is being transferred using these companies.I had informed this to the ED and they had said that they would investigate and take the matter to a logical conclusion,” he said.
Documents released by Lalit Modi’s lawyer show that Vasundhara Raje supported Lalit Modi’s immigration application to the UK in 2011. According to reports, Raje was a secret witness in Modi’s immigration documents.