Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party had lost the moral high ground after a news report claimed there was a sudden rise in the revenues of a company owned by party President Amit Shah’s son.
“The BJP has lost the moral high ground of zero tolerance on corruption,” Sinha was quoted as saying by NDTV. The BJP leader also said that the government should order an inquiry into the matter.
A report in The Wire on Sunday had shown that the revenues of Jay Shah’s company, Temple Enterprise Private Ltd, grew from Rs 50,000 in 2014-’15 to Rs 80.5 crore in 2015-’16. The report also said that a number of loans were received by companies connected to Jay Shah, including one from Indian Renewable Energy Development agency, a public sector enterprise.
“The way the loan was given to Jay Shah by the Power Ministry and the way [Union minister] Piyush Goyal defended him, it gives the impression that there’s something wrong,” Sinha said, referring to a press conference held by Goyal on Sunday denying any impropriety on Jay Shah’s behalf.
Sinha added: “Even Additional Solicitor General [Tushar Mehta] representing a private individual in court is something that never happened before.”
Mehta is likely to defend Jay Shah in the civil and criminal defamation suit he filed against The Wire on Monday.
Sinha and his party have been at loggerheads of late. On September 27, he wrote an article attacking the government for the economic slowdown, which led to verbal exchanges between him and other party members.
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!