Congress asks if ‘Modi Ka Parivar’ includes Vijay Mallya, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Bhubaneswar: The Congress on Tuesday sought clarification from the BJP whether fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya were also in “Modi ka parivar”.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera raised the issue at a press conference here after BJP leaders suffixed "Modi ka Parivar" to their names on their social media profiles, a day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav took a jibe at him for having no family.

Khera asked, "Were not Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Pawan Singh, Nirav Modi, and Vijay Mallya also Modi ka parivar?”

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is a BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, who is accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. Pawan Singh is a Bhojpuri singer-actor who withdrew his name as BJP Lok Sabha poll candidate from West Bengal’s Asansol seat on Sunday. West Bengal’s ruling TMC alleged that many of his songs were crude and depicted women in a vulgar way.

“(PM Narendra) Modi has completed 10 years in office and his associate Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has completed 24 hours in Odisha. We want to ask the PM what action has been taken on the chit fund scam and mining scam in Odisha,” Khera said ahead of the prime minister’s visit to the state.

Claiming that lakhs of people in Odisha have been affected by the "multi-crore scams", the Congress leader alleged that none has got back their money.

Despite recommendations made by a commission, no CBI probe was conducted in the mining scam and no one was arrested, Khera claimed.

He said, “Whenever there is a corruption or scam in the state, the BJP comes to BJD’s rescue. Recently, the BJD has allotted one Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP.”

Khera asked the Prime Minister to disclose the kind of relation the BJP has with the BJD.

“Earlier, there was an invisible relation between the two parties, but now, it has become visible to all,” he said.

Khera said that the Congress, after coming to power, will take strong action against persons involved in the chit fund and mining scams.

The Congress spokesperson alleged that tenders of big projects have been awarded to non-Odisha contractors.

“Valuable land and forests of Odisha are being sold to outsiders. The rights of the people of the state are being provided to outsiders. One non-Odia man became king of the state and has been roaming in choppers,” he alleged without naming anyone.

Now Odisha is ready for change and the Congress will bring the change for them, he said.

He claimed that Congress’ vote share in Odisha is going to increase by 30 to 35 per cent in upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls and the party would win 10 to 12 Lok Sabha seats.

Due to the increase in Congress' vote share in Odisha, Modi became scared, he alleged. “Young boys and girls are committing suicide due to unemployment. Two farmers are committing suicide every hour. To whose family they belong?” the Congress leader asked.

The BJP and the BJD are yet to react to the accusations of the Congress spokesperson.