Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday defended Jay Amitbhai Shah, the son of Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah, saying that the allegations against him were baseless, PTI reported.
On Monday, Jay Shah had filed a defamation case against news portal The Wire, its editor, and its reporter for an article that alleged that the revenues of his company had grown massively the year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.
“Such allegations have surfaced in the past, too,” Singh said at an event inaugurating the new National Investigation Agency headquarters in New Delhi “They are levelled from time to time. They have no basis.”
The home minister said there was no need to investigate the allegations.
The article in The Wire had reported that the revenues of Jay Shah’s Temple Enterprise Pvt Ltd had grown from Rs 50,000 in 2014-’15 to Rs 80.5 crore in 2015-’16. It also reported a number of loans received by companies connected to Jay Shah, based on documents filed with the Registrar of Companies.
The Congress has used the report to criticise the BJP. On Sunday, Congress leader Kapil Sibal had asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be open to calling for an investigation into the allegations. The next day, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had said that Jay Shah’s company was the only one to benefit from the Centre’s demonetisation drive.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!