Modi did not direct CBI raid against Kejriwal's officer: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not direct CBI to raid Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said Saturday, asserting that they would have no qualms about accepting it if it was otherwise.

"We are 'dabang' (bold) leaders. Modiji is also just like me. Had we done this, we would have definitely said so. I myself spoke to Modiji. He told me, for the last one year, I have not issued any direction to CBI in any case. I have only told CBI to do its own legal work," Gadkari told Rajat Sharma on his 'Aap ki Adalat' show on India TV, according to a press release issued by the channel.

He also rejected Kejriwal's charge that CBI had gone to the chief minister's office in search of the DDCA inquiry file, saying it is a "childish charge".

"CBI raided 14 places. It is ridiculous for Kejriwal to say that CBI had gone there in search of DDCA file. There is no DDCA case with CBI and it has nothing to do with DDCA. Like Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal also makes childish allegations. It seems ours has become a democracy of children," he said.

Gadkari also lashed out at Congress saying it is "subverting" democracy by stalling Parliament and resorting to "drama" to gain public sympathy and win elections so that Rahul Gandhi's ambition of becoming a Prime Minister can be fulfilled.

He also rejected charges against the government that CBI was acting against Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, P Chidambaram's son and in the National Herald case at its behest out of vindictiveness, saying the agency was probing charges against BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan too.

"I know Shivraj ji (MP chief minister) is innocent, but did we not order CBI inquiry into Vyapam scam? Has not Supreme Court expressed satisfaction over the progress of CBI probe? So how can you say that we are vindictive?

"Actually Congress wants to garner people's sympathy by raising such issues, so that it can win elections and Rahul Gandhi can become PM, but these are 'mungerilal ke haseen sapne' (a pipedream). This is not going to happen," he said.

Describing the Dadri lynching incident as "unfortunate", the Union Minister said it was wrong to blame the Prime Minister for anything happening under non-BJP governments.

On why the PM did not comment on it, he said it is not necessary for PM to speak on every such incident as the Prime Minister has never did so even in the past and said, "you check history".

"The Prime Minister has his dignity. The PM occasionally reacts or does not react. But to infer that by not tweeting, he was supporting the incident, is it justified? When I spoke to the PM, he expressed his pain and sadness, and later he commented too."

Gadkari said if Congress continued to stall Parliament, he would request that its members are "throw out" of the House so that Parliament work could continue.

"But if we do that, they will brand us as intolerant, conspiratorial, authoritarian and Hitlerite. If we act soft towards them, they take undue advantage. They are having both ways. This is Congress drama," he said.

Gadkari claimed that government has nothing to do with the National Herald case. He said Congress party collected funds from public, which were exempt from income tax and then transferred Rs 98 crore to a trust, which gave this money to a company in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are owners.

"How can you call it justice if you hand over public funds to buy National Herald's Rs 2,000 crore property and hand it over to a company? Is this transaction justified?

This is a judicial matter. There is no government interference. Government has nothing to do with this issue," he said.

On Rahul's charges that government is trying to browbeat the Congress, he said, "Even Congress leaders do not take Rahul's allegations seriously he loses patience when he is angry. I can only say, he is a child, if he makes a mistake, people should forgive him."

The Minister described Congress as a "drama company" which is doing "tamasha" and said it is a matter between the judiciary and Congress and "neither our party or government, nor PMO or Modiji have anything to do with this".

"People of India may be simple-minded, but not fools. People of India can see through their (Congress) dramas. People will never accept such dubious methods,” he said.