New Delhi, Oct 31 (ANI): Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge) Manish Tewari on Wednesday hit back at Nitin Gadkari for targetting Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, saying people do not expect aggression and that it would be far more advisable if the Bharatiya Janata Party and its President are really upfront and transparent with regard to facts which have been put out in the public domain by a set of activists, which they were patronizing till yesterday.
"Well at this point in time I think that it is not going to help the Bharatiya Janata Party President if he struggles to climb on to what quote unquote can be called a moral high ground. Because when you have yourself to answer for in terms of your professional or your personal dealings then people expect certain rational and certain cogent answers, they do not expect aggression," said Tewari.
"So, I think it would be far more advisable if the BJP and its President are really upfront and transparent with regard to facts which have been put out in the public domain by a set of activists, which they were patronizing till yesterday and which was amplified and magnified by the media as it went along," he added.
Launching a frontal attack on Sonia Gandhi, Gadkari earlier in the day said that while he has agreed to cooperate with any inquiry, the Congress has made no such offer for Robert Vadra, who has been accused of using his political influence to get sweetheart deals for himself in Haryana from real estate builder DLF.
"If I am ready for any investigation, why isn't the Congress' son-in-law?" he asked.
Addressing his supporters at Mumbai, Gadkari defended all the charges levelled against him by RTI crusader and India Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal, saying there have been repeated attempts to malign his reputation.
"There are attempts being made to slander me, to destroy my reputation. We are not scared... eent ka jawab patthar se denge (we will retaliate blow for blow)," he said.
Gadkari also said that he has no connections with Ajay Sancheti or Sharad Pawar.
"I have no business links with Ajay Sancheti or Sharad Pawar. Kejriwal's allegation that I grabbed farmers' lands is false. Farmers' land that I am accused of usurping is on the dais with me. I worked for the welfare of Vidharba farmers. I am a social entrepreneur," said Gadkari.
"Media tried to defame me over accidental deaths. The Congress is colluding with media houses to defame me. The cops, crime branch or CID have found nothing against me or BJP. They tried to drag my name even in Adarsh scam. Efforts are on to defame me ever since I became BJP President. My conduct has been upright, I have never indulged in any kind of wrongdoing," he added.
The BJP President, who is facing allegations of dubious funding in companies controlled by him, has threatened to file civil and criminal cases against some media houses for 'defaming' him and alleged that they were playing into the hands of the Congress.
Kejriwal had earlier this month accused Gadkari of having a huge business empire in Maharashtra, and alleged that the former and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were hand-in-glove with each other in the irrigation scam.
Kejriwal accused Gadkari of corruption and claimed that his businesses are flourishing at the cost of farmers. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
