Cong demands CBI probe into Jay Shah row

Panaji: The Congress today demanded an inquiry by the CBI into a media report alleging that the turnover of a firm of BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay grew manifold after the saffron party came to power in 2014.

The charge has been rejected by the BJP and Jay Shah, who termed the report as “false, derogatory and defamatory”. Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “I wonder if the prime minister can explain to us this model of getting Rs 15 crore loan for our businesses. He needs to tell us.”

She alleged that agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate were being used to silence the opposition after the BJP-led government assumed office. “These (agencies) have become a tool to silence the voices, and, for the CBI to function independently this is an important case,” she told a press meet.

Chaturvedi said that the BJP initially had come up with the argument that Jay Shah is an individual businessman and he is carrying out his business and, hence, no one can target him. “However, we had a Union minister coming in support of Jay Shah and giving him a clean chit,” she said.

She alleged that the Narendra Modi government is trying to protect Jay Shah, who is just an individual businessman. Chaturvedi sought to know if it is not a case of “conflict of interest” that Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is supposed to defend the Union of India, is defending Jay Shah.

“Two days before the report came out, he applied for leave to fight this case,” she claimed, and asked, “Isn’t this a conflict of interest?” Union minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said in New Delhi that Mehta will represent Jay Shah in the case. He said Mehta had sought Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s permission to appear for the BJP chief’s son and the approval was granted.

News portal The Wire recently claimed that the turnover of Jay Shah’s firm grew exponentially after the party came to power at the Centre.