It's a war of CDs now

Congress today joined a war of CDs with BJP by releasing a video purportedly showing Narendra Modi in pictures with one Afroz Fatta arrested in connection with a Rs,1000 crore hawala racket and dared him to submit himself to an independent probe.

Claiming Fatta to be a "well known BJP supporter and a protege of Modi", party spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters that he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate of Ahmedabad and Surat which unearthed a major hawala racket after carrying out a raid at his residence.

The  Congress CD came a day after BJP released a video CD targeting Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi and husband of Priyanka Gandhi, over his alleged land deals. Congress has already dismissed the charges as trash.

Maintaining that the racket, according to ED, exceeds Rs 1,000 crore and can extend to Rs 5,000 crore and the transaction of underworld money through the hawala route is suspected, Surjewala posed a number of questions.

Shortly after the Congress charge,  Amit Shah, Modi's close confidante, tweeted a picture of Congress MP Mohd Azharuddin purportedly seen with Fatta.

Reacting to the Congress attack, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said while the party would give a detailed reaction later she sought to dismiss it saying anyone can get photographed with a public personality and that cannot be held against him.

"What is the nature of relationship, connection and protection offered by Modi to Fatta, the alleged hawala kingpin who features in a number of photos along with the Gujarat Chief Minister in various social and political functions"? Surjewala said. Surjewala said the pictures of Fatta on the website of Modi holding meetings in the Chief Minister's office as also on the website of Gujarat BJP reflect the relationship of proximity that needs to be examined and investigated.

"Whether Narendra Modi will agree to submit himself to an independent probe through an agency outside Gujarat to determine his connection or absence thereof to this hawala racket of great magnitude....If he has nothing to hide, he should submit himself to an independent probe," Surjewala said.

Wondering whose money running into Rs 1,000 crore or more was being transmitted through the hawala racket, Surejwala said there is a need to find out in what shape and what purpose this money was being brought back in India and put to what use.

"Whether the complete complacency of Modi and his government to one of the biggest hawala rackets being run in Surat under their nose and eye points towards their complicity or indifference to upholding the law and checking nefarious elements involved in anti-national activities?", he said.

Noting that four shooters of underworld don Babloo Srivastav had shot at one Amjad Dalal, brother of Afzal Dalal, who is a partner of Fatta, Surjewala wanted to know what is the connection of this racket to the underworld and Babloo.

"How is he (Babloo) seeking a stake in the money being channelised through hawala racket? Do Modi and others have any connection to these underworld criminals?" he said.