What's stopping NDA from initiating action against Nirav Modi, asks Cong

The Congress Friday accused the Modi government of not acting against fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi despite having evidence and asked what was stopping the NDA from initiating action.

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said the country's watchman is asleep and is snoozing while Nirav Modi is globe-trotting and opening new companies in London and elsewhere after fleeing from the country.

"Today is 'world sleep day', as the Congress party shall expose how Prime Minister Modi i.e., 'desh ka chowkidar' and his government slept and snoozed while 'chhota Modi' i.e., Nirav Modi looted crores, fled the country, posed with the prime minister, globe trotted the world, opened a new diamond business in London which have a Panama Papers connection.

"Simple question is - If the Congress party can expose this entire chain of events trace this trail, why did the CBI, ED, SFIO and other investigative agencies of the Modi government could not do it after 14 months of his escape," he asked.

The Congress leader also alleged a clear cut case of criminal complacency, complicity and connivance by Modi government with economic offenders like Nirav Modi.

"If all these linkages, connection and nexuses could be traced by the Congress party based on information in public domain, then what prevents the Narendra Modi government to connect the dots and take action against India's most wanted - chhota Modi - Nirav Modi," he asked.

Khera alleged that since the time his passport was revoked, as claimed by the Ministry of External Affairs, Nirav Modi has travelled to at least six countries which includes the UK, the UAE, Hong Kong, France and Germany.

According to Interpol, India's 'most wanted economic offender' Nirav Modi travelled on March 15, March 28, March 30 and March 31. On March 31, after staying at Mayfair Hotel in London and took a flight to Paris.

One of the countries he visited between February and November 2018 was Belgium where he had applied for asylum, Khera said, and asked, "How could Nirav Modi travel the world after his Indian passport was revoked? On June 28, 2018, Modi government's MEA gave a lameduck excuse that Nirav Modi's passport was 'revoked' but not 'physically cancelled'."