BJP steps up attack on Cong over Ktka hawala racket issue, asks Rahul Gandhi to come clean

The BJP on Thursday asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to clear his stand on the alleged unaccounted money "brought to his party's headquarters" here through the "Bengaluru-Delhi hawala highway".

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to fire the fresh salvo at the opposition party after it had earlier cited alleged "confessional" statements made to Income Tax department by some accused in a case to claim that money trail in a hawala case went to its office on Akbar Road.

Singh also accused the opposition party of doing politics over the death of a BSF jawan, whose body was reportedly brutalised by Pakistan Army.

"Faith should be kept in Indian forces and they would respond at an appropriate time," he said.

With Gandhi consistently targeting the Narendra Modi Government over a host of issues like the Rafale deal, Shekhawat accused him of making "irrelevant allegations" to divert attention from the hawla case.

"The Congress president, his party's spokesperson should tell people about the source of the unaccounted money and where it all went," the minister told a press conference.

The allegations are based on confessions made by accused, including those who are in the government service, on oath, he said in a bid to underline the seriousness of the charges.

The Income Tax department had raided the premises of Congress leader and Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar and those of some of its associates last year, and claimed to have recovered a large amount of cash.

Shekhawat also took a dig at the opposition party over chants invoking Lord Shiva in its slogans in poll-bound states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying people should be thanked for forcing the Congress to remember god.

To a question on Indo-Pakistan relations, he said the government's stand is clear that it cannot talk to Pakistan till it supports terrorism.