BJP bringing back fugitives ethical slap on Rahul Gandhi\'s face: Supriyo

Kolkata: Union minister Babul Supriyo has claimed that efforts of the BJP government to bring back fugitives from abroad are a "political and ethical slap" on the face of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

"India is facing an unprecedented situation where the major opposition party - Congress- has based its campaign on lies. It is an illusion of Rahul Gandhi that all these lies would turn into truth. All his allegations of Rafale, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi are falling flat," he told PTI in an interview.

The Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries said fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi fled the country during the BJP rule as they were aware that "neither the Gandhi family nor the Congress ministers could save them" from the law.

His comments come in the backdrop of the Congress' allegations about the Narendra Modi government's involvement in Rafale scam and helping industrialists like Choksi, Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi in fleeing the country after failing to repay loans taken from various state banks.

Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank scam case, was arrested in London on March 20 and a court remanded him to custody till March 29.

"The arrest has exposed the web of lies spread and created by Rahul Gandhi. He has accused the government of not taking enough action, but the fact is it was during the UPA regime that loans were sanctioned to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya," Supriyo said.

They had left the country as there was no arrest warrant and their passports were not confiscated, he said, adding it was the "political resolve of the present government to bring them back and put them to justice even in foreign countries".

"Each time we bring the fugitives, who grew under the pampering of the UPA and the Congress, it is going to be one tight political and ethical slap on the face of Rahul Gandhi," the BJP leader said.

On the Balakot air strike, Supriyo said, "The armed forces have submitted all the documents to the government. It is for the government to decide as an when it wants to release them."

Had the government wanted to politicise the air strike, it would have released the proof of the attack, he asserted.

The Asansol MP said when Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed at Abbotabad in Pakistan in 2011, such demands of releasing the proof were made, but the US government did not pay any heed to it.

Exuding confidence that Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister with the BJP winning an absolute majority, Supriyo declined to speculate on whether Modi will still be the PM if the party falls short of a majority.

"Let us not pay any heed to any speculations. I am very sure, we are going to see Modi ji taking oath once again as the Prime Minister and a stable NDA government, with the BJP having the majority, is going to be re-elected," he said.

Speaking on the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties, the Union minister said it was an alliance of corrupt leaders who are either in jail or out on bail.

He said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) should expect the unexpected in this election as it will be the "curtain raiser of the BJP" ahead of the 2021 assembly polls in the state.

The election will break the backbone of the TMC, he said. "People will vote for BJP to end the tyranny and reign of fear of the TMC. Expect the unexpected in this elections," Supriyo, who is pitted against TMC's Moon Moon Sen from Asansol Lok Sabha seat, said.

He denied that there was discontent in the Bengal unit over defectors from the TMC being given prominence over tried and tested leaders of the BJP. "There is no discontent in BJP.

People who want to fight Mamata Banerjee's tyranny, people who want to mend their ways are welcome in our party," he said.

The protest erupted in various districts of West Bengal after the BJP released its list of candidates.

Party workers hit the streets over discontent regarding the selection of candidates.

BJP Bengal unit vice president Raj Kamal Pathak recently submitted his resignation over denial of ticket.

BJP national president Amit Shah has set a target of winning 23 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.