I-T inquiries politically motivated: Gadkari

Even as the Income Tax (I-T) Department launched on-field inquiries at nine locations in Mumbai belonging to alleged shell companies that had invested in Nitin Gadkari’s Purti group, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president termed it a “calculated, mischievous and politically motivated” move by the government.

The investigation started just a day before Gadkari was scheduled to file nomination papers seeking a second straight term as BJP president.

Questioning the I-T investigation, Gadkari said it was being done at the behest of “political masters sitting in New Delhi”, who had hatched a conspiracy to tarnish his image.

“On the eve of BJP’s presidential election, the I-T department’s action smacks of the ruling UPA’s (United Progressive Alliance) nefarious designs to create confusion in the BJP ranks,” Gadkari said. The BJP president added he had “volunteered for an inquiry” into all allegations of wrongdoings by him and his family and had been fully cooperating with the departments concerned since he had nothing to hide.

The alleged corruption charges had resulted in a mutiny against the BJP president by leaders such as Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Ram Jethmalani, who had demanded his resignation and asked him not contest for the post of president.

The Purti group has said some of the companies, about which the on-field inquiries were carried out, were not part of its family. "As alleged, these companies are not part of Purti group. These companies have invested in some companies of the group," Managing Director of Purti Power and Sugar Limited Sudhir Dive said in a statement.