Continuing with his offensive against the BJP in poll-bound Gujarat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said Prime Minister Modi must speak on his “dishonest” chief minister Vijay Rupani. For alleged manipulative trading in the shares of a company, Saran Chemicals Ltd, during the January-June 2011 period, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reportedly fined 22 entities, including Rupani HUF (Hindu Undivided Family).
“Some days ago, the SEBI said your chief minister is beimaan (dishonest) and they fined him,” Gandhi said while addressing a public meeting in Banaskantha district. “Modiji used to say ‘na khaoonga, na khane doonga’ (I will neither take graft nor allow corruption). Please open your mouth on this subject now. But he is silent. Now his slogan is ‘na bolta hu, na bolne dunga’ (I will not speak myself and won’t allow others to do so’),” the Congress Vice President said.
Rahul Gandhi also raked up the issue of spike in turnover of a firm owned by BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah after the BJP came to power in 2014. “Jay Shah, son of (BJP chief) Amit Shah, increased the turnover of his company from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in a few months after the BJP came to power in 2014. The people of Gujarat know this cannot be done without corruption,” he said.
“The people of the country want to listen what you (Modi) have to say on Amit Shah’s son’s company, on Vijay Rupani. The people of Gujarat will believe that you are not ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) but ‘bhagidar’ (collaborator) if you don’t say anything on the issue,” Gandhi added.
He also alleged that Gujarat is more corrupt than the entire country. “Surat businessmen told me that policemen come to their units every two minutes (allegedly to demand bribe),” he said.
On SEBI fine, Rupani had stated the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has set aside the fine of Rs 6.91 crore imposed on 22 entities, including his firm. The fine amounts varied for the entities and it was reportedly Rs 15 lakh in the case of HUF of Rupani, who became the chief minister in August 2016 and is currently in the thick of the BJP’s campaign for the next month’s assembly polls.
“The tax (structure) with five different slabs is not GST, but is Gabbar Singh Tax, meant to loot the poor and middle-class people of the country as only they pay taxes. We will not rest till the government changes GST and puts a cap of 18 per cent,” he said. On Twitter, Gandhi asked the government to stop levying GST on the maximum number of items of mass use and “stop giving excuses”.
“It is the voice of the country – the government stops giving excuses. It should abolish GST on maximum number of mass use items,” he said. Gandhi also insisted that petrol, diesel and domestic gas cylinders are brought under the ambit of the tax regime.
