Rahul involved in corruption: BJP

The BJP Monday alleged that a money trail of bribes went to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's bank account as it cited a news report which claimed he and Priyanka Gandhi had rented out their farmhouse to the firm of Jignesh Shah, prime accused in NSEL case, when the UPA government was probing the multi-crore scam.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, at a press conference, claimed that no action was taken against Shah because of the rent agreement between him and Gandhi. "This is a clear case of corruption. He is neck deep in corruption. Rahul Gandhi should answer," he said.

There was no reaction from the Congress to these allegations.

He said that according to the news report, the farmhouse in Delhi's Mehrauli area in the name of Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, was rented out to Shah.

The report claimed that the farmhouse was rented out in 2013 when the UPA government was investigating National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL), a company promoted by FTIL, for alleged market irregularities.

Patra alleged that Shah's firm Financial Technologies (India) Ltd had given Rs 40.20 lakh to Gandhi and his sister in two cheques and the embattled businessman's firm was given certain reliefs by the UPA government.

The BJP leader likened Gandhi to Alibaba who was surrounded by 40 thieves, referring to the popular folk tale from "Arabian Nights - One Thousand and One Nights".

Gandhi, he claimed, keeps throwing "chowkidar" (watchman) barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi because the Congress president was "scared" of him.

In December 2016, the CBI had filed its charge sheet in the scam.