Hours after Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the recent video of the PNB scam accused Nirav Modi in the UK shows an "uncanny similarity" between the two, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back with a claim that the diamantaire’s loan was sanctioned a day after he met the leader of the grand old party. " Profound argument from a man who himself has a stolen surname…. By the way, is it not true that in September 2013, you visited Nirav Modi's bridal jewellery exhibition in Delhi and the very next day Allahabad Bank approved loan to him, despite opposition from bank's director?†asked the BJP in a tweet.
The jibe was aimed at the Congress president’s grandfather Feroze Jahangir Ghandy’s surname. He changed his surname from Ghandy to Gandhi, after being Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.
The BJP hit back saying Nirav Modi’s fraud began in 2011 when the UPA dispensation was in power.
“Nirav Modi’s fraud to cheat the banks started in 2011 when UPA government was in power. It was detected and exposed during the Modi govt,†the BJP tweeted.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the PM saying that the recent video of the PNB scam accused Nirav Modi in the UK shows an "uncanny similarity" between the two as both "believe they are above the law".
Gandhi's jibe came after a UK media report claimed that Nirav Modi, wanted in India in the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case, has been living openly in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is running a new diamond business just yards away.
"The video of fugitive #NiravModi in London shows an uncanny similarity between him & his bhai, PM Modi. Both have looted India and are called Modi. Both refuse to answer any questions. Both believe they are above the law. Both will face justice (sic)," the Congress chief tweeted.
In a video posted by the Telegraph newspaper, Nirav Modi can be seen sporting a handle-bar moustache and wearing an Ostrich Hide jacket, estimated to cost 10,000 pounds.
On being accosted by reporters and questioned on various issues, including whether he had applied for political asylum in Britain and what he had to say about the charges against him, Nirav Modi responded with a curt: "No comment".
Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the main accused in Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam and they both left India before the details of the fraud came to light in January 2018.
With PTI Inputs
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