'Cong must come out clear on claims made by Choksi's lawyer'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) media-in-charge, Anil Baluni on Friday hit out at the Congress party, saying that fugitive businessmen Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and others who fled the country were close to the grand old party,

Baluni added that the Congress should stop dragging the BJP in the matter.

He said, "Choksi and others who had escaped the country are close to Congress leaders. During 2012-13 their assets increased and their business flourished. Congress should stop blaming us and answer about the revelation that Choksi's lawyer made two days back about Choski being close to Congress leaders."

He further added, "The allegations that have been made by some Congress leaders against the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party in connection with Mehul Chokshi are baseless. Two days ago in a TV show, Choksi's lawyer was heard saying that Choksi was given loans because he was close with Congress leaders."

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that the Congress party had a 'loose alliance' with absconding diamond merchant Mehul Choksi.

Prasad told ANI that, he came to know about the connection between the embattled businessman and the grand old party after a news channel broadcasted an interview of one of the international lawyers of Choksi namely, David Dorset.

Quoting the lawyer, the Union Minister said, "Mehul Choksi was an ordinary businessman who had some loose alliance on with what is now the opposition party in India, the Congress."

The Union Minister also reiterated what Baluni claimed, and said the gross income of Choksi's company rapidly increased during the Congress regime.

A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai on July 26 issued summons against both absconding businessmen Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

The PNB detected the multi-crore scam earlier this year wherein Nirav and Choksi had allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of USD 2 billion, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.