Who travels with you on official tours? Congress asks PM Modi

The Congress earlier claimed the billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi was a part of a delegation travelling with PM Modi to Davos

NEW DELHI: Attacking the BJP-led Centre over the multi-crore PNB fraud, Congress leader Kapil Sibal launched into a fiery speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. “Why is PM Modi refusing to disclose who all travel with him on official tours,” questioned Sibal.

Accusing the BJP of sheltering billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, Sibal asked, “Is this the kind of 'Ease of Doing Business'  the PM talks about?”

The Congress party had earlier claimed that the billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi was a part of a delegation travelling with Prime Minister Modi to World Economic Forum in Davos. However, denying all allegations, the BJP had said that the PM did not hold any private meeting with the billionaire jeweller. 

The senior Congress leader added, “In 2015 there was a complaint filed against this issue but @PMOIndia replied that this has been 'dealt with'. How was it dealt it? This proves that they were aware of all this.” 

In 2015 there was a complaint file against this issue but @PMOIndia replied that this has been 'dealt with'. How was it dealt it? This proves that they were aware of all this: @KapilSibal #ModiGhotala — Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) February 17, 2018

The Congress leader was addressing a press conference on Arvinder Singh Lovely re-joining Congress after a nine-month stint with BJP. “I challenge BJP to come and talk about UPA's governance and their governance. Because of their ill-intentions, they have brought India's economy to its knees,” he said. 

Reacting to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar's statement on how the PNB fraud started in UPA regime, Sibal counter-attacked, “What is the relation between HRD Ministry and Nirav Modi? Why is the Finance Minister not answering our questions related to the Scam?”

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday morning arrested retired bank manager Gokulnath Shetty and two others in connection with the Rs 11,400 crore fraud conducted at the Mumbai branch of the Punjab National Bank. 

In February 2018, the PNB announced the detection of the scam in which jeweller Nirav Modi acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from a single Mumbai branch for overseas credit from other Indian lenders.

The scam started in 2011 and was detected in the third week of January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

Meanwhile, the PNB filed a second complaint with the CBI on February 13. The CBI had received the complaint from PNB on January 28 and a case was registered in the case on January 31. 

With agency inputs