Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday made a number of explosive allegations against the Central government in general and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular, like accusing Modi of taking Rs 25 crore bribe from the Aditya Birla Group when he was chief minister of Gujarat in 2012.
Kejriwal's fresh allegations against the prime minister come mere days after he said Modi had "informed his friends" about the demonetisation move: Modi had on from November 8 midnight declared all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes as illegal tender, a move he said was aimed at, among other things, eradicating the scourge of black money.
Speaking at a special session of the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday, Kejriwal said: "For the first time in the history of independent India, a sitting prime minister's name has come up in black money transactions."
The Aditya Birla Group transaction
He was referring to a raid conducted on the Aditya Birla Group in 2013, in which a laptop was among the many things that had been seized by the Income Tax (I-T) Department. Kejriwal said this laptop had an entry that incriminates Modi. He said the entry, from November 16, 2012, is for Rs 25 crore, which was apparently given to the "Gujarat CM," which he said was the then Gujarat chief minister, which at that point of time was Narendra Modi.
He also said that the business group, when asked about the entry, had said that it was Gujarat Chemicals that had been referenced. He, nevertheless, went on to ask in the Assembly: "Huge doubt arises: Did the Aditya Birla Group pay this money to Narendra Modi for favours?"
Kejriwal also sought to attack the Congress over this issue. He said: "The Congress was in the Centre then, but it did not raise any voice. Why? The Congress must have had a deal with it." It may be noted that Kejriwal was speaking of the UPA-II regime, a coalition government led by the Congress.
