Govt probe against Gadkari an eyewash: Kejriwal

New Delhi: India Against Corruption (IAC) activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Friday rejected the Income Tax (I-T) Department’s probe against Nitin Gadkari, terming it as an ‘eyewash’, while the national media continues to make fresh revelations against the BJP chief.

Kejriwal, who had exposed the alleged financial irregularities in Gadkari’s firm Purti Power and Sugar Ltd and its investor companies, tweeted, "Co Affairs, IT Dept probing Gadkari? Govt - IT det wud submit report in a month. IT Act has no provision for such a probe. Govt fooling ppl? Under I-T Act - u can raid (sec 132) or survey (sec 133A) or scrutinize (sec 143) - wat is govt doing? (sic)"

The IAC activist, also a former Income-Tax officer, further tweeted, “Will I-T find anything if it raids or surveys? Raids conducted in secrecy. This is how CBI conducts raids after grand announcements. Are all these probes merely an eyewash? Time will tell. It wud further prove - Cong BJP bhai bhai."

Kejriwal blamed Congress and the BJP for being hand-in-gloves in big ticket corruption cases and said that the two are sailing in the same boat.

Reaction from Kejriwal came a day after both the Income Tax Department and the Ministry of Company Affairs began separate inquiries into Gadkari's firm and its financial dealings with 26 investor companies.

Officials of the investing companies would be summoned in due course and, if needed, the BJP chief would also be asked to be present, reports said.

Gadkari is at the centre of a raging controversy over funding of PPSL with media reports claiming that major investments and large loans to Purti were made by Ideal Road Builders (IRB) group, which had won several big contracts between 1995 and 1999, when the BJP chief was PWD minister in Maharashtra.

Media reports also claimed that shell companies were floated for making investments and their fake addresses were submitted to the Registrar of Companies.

On Tuesday, Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily had said that Registrars of Companies would inquire into the allegations.

On his part, Gadkari has denied the allegations and said he was prepared for a probe.


With Agency Inputs