Linking Narendra Modi with Afroz Fatta shows Congress's ‘desperation’: Arun Jaitley

Amritsar: BJP leader Arun Jaitley attacked Congress for linking Narendra Modi with Afroz Fatta, arrested in connection with a hawala racket, and said it shows "desperation" of the party.

"Fatta was part of a delegation which had come to meet Modi. So, how can Modi be liable for the crime committed by Fatta"? he said.

"The Enforcement Directorate is under the central government and it has said that there is no connection between Fatta and Modi," Jaitely told a press conference here.

Congress had on Monday released a CD purportedly showing Narendra Modi in pictures with one Afroz Fatta arrested in connection with a Rs 1000-crore hawala racket and dared the BJP PM candidate to submit himself to an independent probe.

Asked what action would BJP take against Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra for his alleged land dealings, he said "let the (Model) Code of Conduct get over and then we will look into it."

The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, who is contesting from Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency, also targeted his rival and Congress candidate Amarinder Singh and alleged he had no vision for the constituency and had done and raised personality politics and issues.

"I think he is a light-weight candidate of the constituency because of the hollowness and lack of depth of issues raised by him. His case is of majestic isolation. Even his party members are embarrassed to stand by him", he added.

Amarinder had accused Jaitley of giving opinion to a company allegedly involved in coal allocation scam and lobbying for power project for a private firm from Madhya Pradesh government. He had also questioned Jaitley's "high moral ground" on corruption and black money and his attacks on Priyanka Gandhi and asked him to "come clean" on the two issues.

Asked about this, Jaitley charged "Amarinder Singh...has the habit of concoting lies and falsehood".

Jaitley criticized the Election Commission for restricting the movement of Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia to his polling station area from where he is an elector for his controversial comments. Majithia had at an election rally allegedly distorted a hymn in Gurbani, compositions of Sikh gurus, and inserted Jaitley's name into it.

"It is an unconstitutional order and not a single FIR has been filed against him in the area or anywhere in the country," he said.