Rahul’s Allegations Have People Talking About Sahara ‘Diary’

Rahul Gandhi’s claims may not have caused an earthquake, but it has granted new currency to the Sahara case.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi at the rally in Mehsana, Gujarat on Wednesday, 21 December 2016. (Photo: PTI)

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday finally put forward the “detailed information” of “personal corruption” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the PM had taken bribes from the Sahara Group and the Birlas.

Speaking at a rally in Mehsana, Gujarat, Gandhi said that the allegations stem from a diary, documents and other material seized by the Income Tax department during raids on the two corporate houses.

The 'revelations’ did not cause an earthquake as Gandhi had predicted. But they certainly have the public – and the media – talking about the seized Sahara ‘diary’ and the alleged payoffs.

Rahul Gandhi Not the First to Make These Allegations

But Rahul is hardly the first person to raise this issue. The matter first came into the public domain after senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta wrote about it in The Caravan magazine.

These documents also suggest that the recipients of such favours included, among others: Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh; Raman Singh, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh; Shaina NC, the treasurer for the Bharatiya Janata party in Maharashtra; and <b>Sheila Dikshit, the former chief minister of Delhi.</b>

Gandhi, in his speech on Wednesday, claimed that the Income Tax department has access to a Sahara Group ‘diary’, which allegedly contains records of nine payments made by the group to Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Incidentally, this mater is currently being heard by the Supreme Court. The court, so far, has not been convinced by these very claims and ‘evidence’. Therefore, some observers claimed on TV news channels, unless Gandhi has any new evidence in the case, the accusations are not going to stick.

Also Read: Left Calls For Probe Into Rahul’s Allegations Against PM Modi

‘Narendra Modi Needs to Clarify’

On the other hand, Gaurav Bhatia, honorary secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, claimed that if Modi’s name has figured in something this murky, the obvious next step is to at least provide a clarification.

As Senior SC Advocate Sanjay Hegde pointed out on Times Now, the Supreme Court may have said that an investigation cannot be ordered, but it has not dismissed the case. The case will next be heard in January 2017.

Senior journalist Abhay Dubey virtually defended Gandhi by pointing out that the allegations have been around for some time, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too bringing them up.

But Gandhi’s Mehsana speech, Dubey said on Times Now, has given fresh currency to the case against Modi.