New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday night and is understood to have discussed the party's strategy over a fresh disclosure that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was allegedly benefitted from investments of over Rs 11 crore made by Lalit Modi in her son's company.
The meeting between Modi and Shah took place at the Prime Minister's official residence 7, Race Course Road, BJP sources said. Earlier in the day, Shah had met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who also met the Prime Minister separately.
Jaitley and Shah were believed to have deliberated on the party's strategy to ride out the massive row involving Raje as well as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
An affidavit filed by Raje before the Election Commission showed that she had 3280 shares in Niyant Heritage Hotels, owned by her son Dushyant Singh, an MP. Modi had invested over Rs 11 crore in this company at a huge premium of over Rs 96,000 per share of Rs 10.
This disclosure generated charges that Raje had benefitted from Modi's controversial investments which Rajasthan BJP President Ashok Parnami rebutted by claiming tonight that these shares had been “gifted” to her by Dushyant and his wife Niharika.
Congress took the opportunity to attack Raje. “It is not only Dushyant, but Raje too was among the beneficiaries of this windfall favour by Lalit Modi,” Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said.
Congress also alleged a "quid pro quo" in a MoU between Raje government and Lalit Modi for setting up a cancer hospital by Portugal's Champalimaud Foundation in Jaipur.
The MoU was signed almost two months after Lalit Modi's wife reportedly underwent medical treatment at the Lisbon-based institute and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj helped him to get UK travel papers on ‘humanitarian grounds'.
Congress general secretary CP Joshi, a former union minister from Rajasthan, alleged that under the agreement the state government would provide land and handle the financial management of the hospital.
"It is a clear-cut deal of quid pro quo, signed in the presence of Vasundhara Raje,” alleged Joshi. "The MoU also states that the Rajasthan government will constitute a society for financial management of the centre."
The opposition Congress has been demanding resignation of both Swaraj and Raje after the two were hit with controversy last week that they secretly supported former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, under investigation by Enforcement Directorate (ED), in procuring his travel document in UK.
(With inputs from agencies)
