Smriti Irani picks on Rahul Gandhi over diary expose issue in Karnataka

Diary entries had acronyms resembling names of several Congress leaders including Gandhi

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday cited a media report to claim that diaries seized during an IT raid on a Congress leader in Karnataka had mention of 'RG' and sought to know whom it refers to.

"There is a man in Karnataka who can get anything done in Congress governments through money. During an Income Tax raid at his place it was found that crores of rupees were sent to Congress headquarters and leadership," she said.

"The (TV) channel says that in the papers recovered from his place there is also the name of 'RG'... We should know who this 'RG' is," Irani said at an election rally here in the Lok Sabha Constituency of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Media reports had earlier said that the diaries purportedly belonging to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Parliamentary Secretary K Govindaraju had a few acronyms that find similarities with names of some Congress leaders and the amount in crores of rupees against them which was supposedly paid or received.

The Income Tax Department had in March 2016 conducted searches at the residence of Govindaraju, an MLC, and seized several documents.

Irani, while addressing the election meeting, accused Rahul Gandhi of double speak on farmers' issues and slammed the SP-Congress alliance, saying those who "looted" people at the Centre and state have come together this time.

"This is the height of double speak that you (Gandhi) come here and comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi... If you had the strength, you would have made arrangement for fertiliser for the farmers here," she said.

"Even a child in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency knows how farmers had to face baton charge while standing in long queues for urea," the Union minister claimed.

Hitting out at the Congress vice-president, she alleged, "He could not develop his constituency when his party was in power at the Centre. Even today, if you bring court orders for returning farmers' land here, district officials say that they have received a phone call from Lucknow and they will not be able to implement the order."

The Union minister alleged that the land of 'Samrat Cycles' factory was grabbed through the Rajiv Gandhi foundation and claimed even though Rahul talks about food park, the Congress-led UPA government did not provide necessary facilities for setting it up.

On SP candidate from Amethi, Gayatri Prajapati, she said, "One who used to come on a bicycle today has big cars... Whose money is it, which has been looted?"