New Delhi, June 30
The Congress on Tuesday
claimed there was a "criminal nexus" between Rajasthan Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje and former IPL chief Lalit Modi, and stepped up pressure
by producing fresh documents in support of its claim that the Dholpur
Palace was a state-owned property. The BJP once again refuted the charge
as "baseless".
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh produced certain
documents that allegedly showed that Raje's son Dushyant Singh and his
father Hemant Singh reached a compromise on only the movable properties
of the Dholpur Palace whereas the palace itself was a public property.
"We
will keep disclosing information until Prime Minister Narendra Modi
makes a statement and orders a probe into the matter," he said.
Ramesh also demanded an independent probe into the entire controversy.
"There
has been a criminal nexus between Lalit Modi and the Raje family. Until
there is a closure to this issue, the Congress will keep bringing out
disclosures," the former union minister added.
However, BJP
spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told IANS: "After losing the last
general elections, the Congress party has become directionless. The
Congress has lost its balance, so they are raising a personal issue from
the party forum."
"The people of Rajasthan know it very well
that Vasundhara ji belongs to which family and how much property she
has. Such personal allegations against Raje will hurt the Congress
more," he added.
In Jaipur, the Bharatiya Janata Party's
Rajasthan unit maintained that the Dholpur Palace in the state belonged
to Raje's son Dushyant Singh and challenged the Congress to prove it to
the contrary.
State BJP chief Ashok Parnami showed some
documents, including some court and family settlement papers, to
reporters saying that the palace actually belonged to Dushyant Singh.
"The Congress is unnecessarily levelling baseless allegations and indulging in petty politics," he said.
"We
are giving replies based on documentary proof. Anyone is free to verify
the documents... you can get the documents through RTI."
Parnami
asked if the Congress found something wrong in the deal, why did it not
initiate any probe when it was in power both at the centre and the
state.
Terming the charges levelled by Ramesh as baseless and
unsubstantiated, the BJP leader said the documents shown by him "prove
that Dushyant holds the Dholpur Palace's ownership".
Rajendra
Rathore, Rajasthan's parliamentary affairs and medical and health
minister, at a press conference challenged Ramesh to join him in a
debate and termed the Congress charges "absurd".
"Either he should prove the charges or else quit politics," Rathore said.
Ramesh
earlier asserted that a 1949 document showed the city palace of Dholpur
was a state property but the then Maharaja Udaibhan Singh was to remain
in possession and use the property during his lifetime.
Responding
to the BJP's claims that when the National Highways Authority of India
acquired the land near the palace, the compensation had gone to Raje's
son Dushyant Singh, Ramesh said there was a CBI case challenging the
grant of compensation to him.
"On April 10, 2013, two people
complained to the CBI that this land was illegally acquired. Dushyant
Singh is not the owner," Ramesh said.
The Congress leader said
the prime minister and the union home minister, under whom the CBI
functions, need to answer questions about the fate of the complaint.
New Delhi, June 30
The Congress on Tuesday stepped up pressure on beleaguered Rajasthan
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, producing fresh documents in support of
its claim that the Dholpur Palace is a state-owned property.
The party also demanded an independent probe into the entire controversy.
Senior
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh produced documents, allegedly showing
that Raje's son Dushyant Singh and his father Hemant Singh reached a
compromise on only the movable properties of the Dholpur Palace whereas
the palace itself was a public property.
"We will keep disclosing
information until Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a statement and
orders a probe into the matter," he said.
"Until there is a
closure to this issue, the Congress will keep bringing out disclosures,"
the Congress leader and former union minister added.
Ramesh said
that a 1949 document showed that the city palace of Dholpur was a state
property but the then Maharaja Udaibhan Singh was to remain in
possession and use the property during his lifetime.
Responding
to Bharatiya Janata Party claims that when National Highways Authority
of India acquired land near the palace, the compensation had gone to
Raje's son Dushyant Singh, Ramesh said there was a CBI case challenging
the grant of compensation to him.
"On April 10, 2013, two persons
complained to the CBI that this land was illegally acquired. Dushyant
Singh is not the owner," Ramesh said.
The senior Congress leader
said that the prime minister and the union home minister, under whom the
CBI functions, need to answer questions about the fate of the
complaint.
