Tarun Bharat scam: Opposition seeks Tawde ouster, questions Gadkari’s share
Asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to make a full disclosure of facts in the Tarun Bharat Mumbai scam, the Opposition Congress on Friday demanded sacking of Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde from the Cabinet.
It also asked why Union minister Nitin Gadkari did not disclose his shareholdings in the Shree Multimedia Vision Limited (SMVL), owner of Mumbai Tarun Bharat in the election affidavit in 2014.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarter here, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “The unholy saga of Tarun Bharat Mumbai scam raises serious questions of flagrant and wilful violation of law, blatant conflict of interest, negation of code of conduct for ministers, non-disclosure of mandatory information in the election affidavits by Union and state ministers and murky dealings. Documents in the public domain reflect specific involvement, complicity and role of BJP leadership that need to be answered to people of India.”
The SMVL is a For Profit Public Limited Company which publishes Mumbai tarun Bharat from the BJP office in Chembur, Mumbai. Political parties never undertake commerecial or rental activities from their offices.
Last annual return for the financial year 2012-13 of SMVL reflects a loan of Rs 25 lakh from the BJP and the BJP has also stated that this loan was not returned by Mumbai Tarun Bharat as the “company is out of business and it was not possible to return.”
Annual report of SMVL also reflects Rs 20 lakh loan from Keshav Kunj, the RSS headquarters at Jhandewalan, New Delhi, they alleged and asked will the BJP or the RSS tell whetehr this is a loan from the RSS or another entity.
Bharatiya Darshan Vichar Trust has also given Rs 20 loan to SMVL. “Is this a BJP trust What is the source of funds Do these funds also belong to the BJP If it is not a BJP trust, how is it operated from BJP office in Chembur, Mumbai ” they asked.
Mr Surjewala wanted the PM and finance minister Arun Jaitley to explain as to whether extension of loan to “For Profit” public limited companies by political parties does not violate the provisions of Income Tax Act and other laws while responding to a question Mr Azad said the Congress would raise this issue in the current session of parliament.
Mr Azad and Mr Surjewala alleged that since Mr Tawde held a director’s post in the private media company, it amounted to conflict of interest, which calls for his sacking from the Cabinet.
Noting that the balance sheet also reflected that one Vilayati Ram Mittal has also extended a loan of Rs.15 lakh to SMVL, they claimed surprisingly, report of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) showed that Mittal is a builder, who is being investigated by Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Mr Surjewala alleged that Dilip Karambelkar, a business partner and a long-time friend of Mr Tawde, was made the president of Maharashtra State Marathi Encyclopedia Corporation without following the due process.
Mr Tawde, a senior BJP leader from the state, had landed in a controversy earlier over his educational qualification mentioned in the election affidavit.