The Congress has accused BJP of spending crores of black money on its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s poll campaign. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said he has received “inputs” that the BJP has spent Rs 10,000 crore on Modi’s publicity campaign and only 10 per cent of this money can be accounted as “white money.”
Making a mockery of the so-called “Gujarat model,” Sharma also pointed out that when Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the accounted debt of the state stood at Rs 45,000 crore and today it has increased to Rs 1,76,000 crore. “I have never seen this kind of media blitzkrieg. Rs 10,000 crore is the publicity campaign budget of BJP and Modi. He promises to bring back to the country black money stashed abroad, but 90 per cent is black money that he is using in elections,” Sharma said at AICC briefing.
He said that the BJP campaign to project Modi was of such a massive magnitude that it has not been seen in independent India. He said it was strange that when black money was involved in the BJP campaign, Modi is declaring that he would deal with the menace of black money when he becomes the Prime Minister.
“We have to take Narendra Modi seriously now for his claim that he was capable of unearthing black money. This is an advance demonstration of not only his capability to unearth black money but to use it. People of India need to be told about it in proper perspective from where this money is coming from,” he said pointing that the BJP expenses over publicity must be 25 times more than that of the Congress.
The party also raked up a CAG report to target Modi over the alleged loss of 250 million dollars to Gujarat exchequer over Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation venture and asked the BJP PM candidate to explain his ties with Canadian geologist Jean Paul Roy.
A day after the party took up a Gujarat government report to claim the economic progress under Modi has not benefitted the common man, AICC raised the GSPC deal accusing Modi of promoting crony capitalism.
Sharma said in 2002 when the GSPl bid for exploration in the KG basin by making a consortium, 10 per cent of partnership was allegedly given to Geoglobal Resources of Roy.“The company did not bear even 10 per cent of the expenditure of exploration which was borne by Gujarat government. later, an explanation was given that this was paid for technical expertise. CAG raised this issue why the company was given money without investing any money”, he said.
Sharma also targeted Modi over Gujarat government’s plans to construct a huge statue of Sardar Patel. Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, he wanted a plaque to be installed at the base of the statue depicting Patel’s signed letter on banning RSS and his letter to RSS Chief M S Golwalkar so that the present and future of the country can know Modi installed Patel’s statue despite knowing his views. He also said it was time RSS took off its “mask” as a social and cultural organisation and declare itself a political organisation as it takes all important decisions relating to BJP.