Cong urges PM to speak on media report against Amit Shah's son

New Delhi: The Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Amit Shah as BJP president and demanded a probe into claims in a media report that a firm owned by Shah’s son saw a huge rise in turnover after the party came to power in 2014.

While Congress leader Anand Sharma spoke in Delhi on the allegations of wrongdoing by the company owned by Jay Amit Shah, its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at the BJP in Jaipur. Sharma said Modi should “break his silence” on the claims. Hitting out at Union minister Piyush Goyal for defending Jay Amit Shah, he asked whether Goyal was a minister, a “spokesperson or business manager.”

“The prime minister speaks on every issue… He speaks a lot… There should be a probe into it… Shah should give up his post until the probe is over, like L K Advaniji did, Nitin Gadkariji did when charges were levelled against them (in separate cases),” Sharma told reporters.

The BJP yesterday rejected the Congress’ charge over the business transactions of Jay Amit Shah. Goyal had told reporters that the BJP was “confident” there was no wrongdoing and Jay Amit Shah’s businesses were fully legitimate. In Jaipur, Surjewala said Modi should relieve Amit Shah from the party president post and get the claims probed by a two-member commission of Supreme Court judges.

“It is a tough call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Country is looking at him whether he will choose friendship and party politics or truth and morality,” Surjewala said. He said there must be transparency and accountability.
“Why shy away from probe if there’s nothing wrong? There is no smoke without fire. The country was waiting for development… but ‘Jai ka Vikas ho gaya’,” he said.