Countering the Enforcement Directorate (ED) charge sheet, Congress senior spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi called it political vendetta and said the “government was jumping with joy because it suited their political target”.
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Singhvi said, “It’s more disgusting that the government is relying on a 2010 transaction and on a statement of a person who is behind bars and whose 20-30 bail applications have been rejected. He is called a master fraudster, and the government is jumping with joy because it suits its political motive. They want the pot boiling for 2022 regarding a transaction of 2010, neither Murli Deora nor Ahmed Patel are sadly here to deny it.”
He alleged that the government was playing through “selective leaks…”
“It is pressure tactics on a person behind bars who is eager to get his freedom to record statements against political opponents and to keep 12-year-old thing boiling just for convenience of politics…” he added.
The Congress spokesperson said that the facts were that the increase in loan in the Yes bank loan book increased from 2014 to 2019. He questioned whether the government knew in 2014 that the loan in Yes bank book was Rs 55,000 crore in March 2014 but till March 2019 it increased 5 times to Rs 2.41 lakh crore.”
“This is political Vendetta… at least spare the dead people like Deora and Patel…” Singhvi added.
In its charge sheet filed before a local Mumbai court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that former Yes Bank Chairman Rana Kapoor paid Rs 2 crore for M.F. Husain painting and the money was later utilised for the treatment of Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi in New York.
The charge sheet said, “Kapoor was forced by then Petroleum Minister Murli Deora to purchase the painting from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
“Deora visited Kapoor’s home and offices many times to force him to buy the paintings,” the probe agency said.
“Deora also sent messages and called Kapoor in this respect several times. Kapoor tried to avoid Deora’s call and didn’t respond to his messages. However, he purchased the painting later. As per the directions, Kapoor gave a cheque of Rs 2 crore to Milind Deora, the son of Murli Deora.”
Kapoor’s statements read that he was promised by Murli Deora that this would help him get Padma Bhushan. But it was never fulfilled.
“Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel had also told him that since he (Kapoor) had helped Sonia Gandhi at the crucial time, his name would be considered for a Padma Bhushan.”
Kapoor had said in his statements that “it was a forced sale” and he was never ready for it.
The second supplementary charge sheet was filed by ED against Kapoor, his family, DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhwan.
