When Modi was Gujarat CM, he took Rs 25 crore bribe: Kejriwal in Delhi Assembly

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi maybe describing his demonetisation initiative as “kadak chai” for the poor and not suiting the rich, but this was more of a poison for the “aam aadmi”, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday.

Participating in a one-day special session of the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal accused the Prime Minister of protecting his “corporate friends” and exploiting the poor.

“He has been claiming that the decision is an attack on black money, but it is an attack on common people. He is protecting his friends. These businessmen pay Prime Minister Modi and in response the Prime Minister ensures that the income tax department does not conduct raids on these businessmen’s house,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal further alleged that when the Prime Minister Modi was Gujarat’s Chief Minister, he took Rs 25 crore as a bribe from the Aditya Birla Group firm.

“On 15 October 2013, the income tax department conducted raid on Shubendu Amitabh’s house. He was the president of the group executive of Aditya Birla Group. His Blackberry phones, laptop everything was thoroughly checked. They found a ledger entry in his laptop stating that on 16 November 2012, the Gujarat Chief Minister was paid Rs 25 crores,” he said.

“For the first time in history of independent India, a sitting PM’s name has come in black money transactions,” he added.

He alleged that the when the I-T department filed an appraisal report on the same, the Congress-led UPA regime, at the time, deliberately did not take action against Prime Minister Modi.

“This raid happened in 2013. The Congress was in power. But they should have initiated action given that Narendra Modi was projected as Prime Minister’ face for BJP. Then it means that the BJP and Congress had deals between them. They must have thought that once Narendra Modi becomes the PM, he will help them in the Robert Vadra case,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal also urged the central government to rollback the demonetisation drive which has adversely affected the common man. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Government passed a resolution asking President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw the “draconian” demonetisation scheme.

“This assembly resolves to urge upon the Honourable President of India to take necessary steps to institute a high-level probe to be monitored by the Honourable Supreme Court of India to look into the allegations that the scheme is fraud on the nation and that it has been launched to benefit a particular political party through its agents in black money,” the resolution stated.