The BJP on Friday continued with its attacks against Congress interim Chief Sonia Gandhi on the issue of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) receiving donations from the Chinese Embassy, as ruling party president JP Nadda accused her of diverting the money of the citizens during the UPA rule into a family run foundation.

Nadda termed it as a “brazen fraud” and a “big betrayal of the people of India”.

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“The PMNRF (Prime Minister National Relief Fund), meant to help people in distress, was donating money to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in UPA years. Who sat on the PMNRF board? Sonia Gandhi. Who chairs RGF (Rajiv Gandhi Foundation)? Sonia Gandhi. Totally reprehensible, disregarding ethics, processes and not bothering about transparency,” the BJP president said in a series of tweets.

“People of India donated their hard-earned money to PMNRF to help their fellow citizens in need. To divert this public money into a family run foundation is not only a brazen fraud but also a big betrayal of the people of India,” he said.

While targeting Sonia Gandhi, he further said one family’s “hunger for wealth” has cost this nation immensely and demanded Congress’ imperial dynasty to apologise.

“One family’s hunger for wealth has cost the nation immensely. If only they have devoted their energies towards a more constructive agenda. The Congress’ Imperial Dynasty needs to apologise to the unchecked loot for self-gains,” Nadda lashed out in another tweet.

A startling revelation came to light on Thursday that the government of the Peoples Republic of China and the Chinese Embassy in India have been funding the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of RGF, and its board includes former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, among others.

According to an RGF annual report accessed by IANS, in 2005-06, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received a donation from the government of People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Embassy as two separate donors. These were listed as donors in the report in the list of general donors.

According to some estimates, the donation was to the tune of $2 million between 2004 and 2006 and $9 million between 2006 and 2013.

Following the reports, the BJP was quick to corner the Congress.

The controversy erupted after Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell alleged that “Donations showed results soon after. RGF did not just one but several studies on how a Free Trade Agreement between India and China is desirable and required. Studies argued that India needs the FTA much more than China and should pursue it as part of its efforts to improve bilateral relations!”

The Congress immediately responded saying that “the BJP should stop living in 2005” and alleged that the ruling party is adopting “diversionary tactics” to avoid answering questions on the Chinese transgressions in Ladakh.