THE CITIZEN BUREAU

NEW DELHI: The business dealings of Jay Amitbhai Shah has silenced the government and the BJP with the Congress party releasing documents proving financial irregularities and asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he will set the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate on his party chief’s son and arrest him.



At a specially convened press conference Congress leader Kapil Sibal spelt out point by point the irregularities. Of how Jay Shah had set up Temple Enterprises, an agri product company in 2004. In 2013 it registered losses to the tune of Rs 6200. In March 2014 again it showed a lost of Rs 1424, again just before the general elections. In 2015, Sibal said, it registered a not very high profit of Rs 18728.



But suddenly in 2015-2016 its turnover shot to Rs 80 crores registering a 16000 times over growth! Sibal said the company started getting loans with a financial services company under Rajesh Khandwal giving it a loan of Rs 15 crores. But then as suddenly as it registered the profit, Temple Services shut down in 2016 claiming losses Sibal said wondering at this development adding, “and the PM talks of crony capitalism.”



The PM and Amit Shah are running the government, the Congress leader said. At the drop of a hat they set the CBI after Opposition leaders for far smaller figures, and threaten to arrest them. “Where is the CBI now, where is the ED, where is the Prime Minister”? Sibal asked.



He went on to disclose facts of a stocks and shares company where Jay Shah had 60 per cent shares. This company, according to Sibal, suddenly got a contract for a wind power project in Maharashtra ---”and we all know who is in power in Maharashtra”---without having any expertise in that field. He claimed that this company too received a corporate deposit from Khandwal, and a loan of Rs 25 crores from a cooperative bank.



Sibal said the media, particularly the television news channels, had been told by the government not to cover this press conference. The press conference however was all over the social media, with the Congress releasing the full video tape. Jay Shah has threatened the Wire that carried the story with a 100 crore defamation suit. Minister Piyush Goyal was unable to tell reporters whether the honest BJP government would take cognisance of the Congress documents and allegations, and order a probe by its top investigative agencies and instead referred to Jay Shah’s decision to sue the online news site.



The BJP has been placed on the defensive with no answer from the political leaders to Sibal’s questions. The social media has the trolls out in full strength countered by trending jokes, satire and memes on Shah and his son.

