The tables seem to now have turned onto the Congress Party in the PNB Scam. As per the Income Tax department, it has issued a notice to Mrs. Anita Singhvi, ex Sufi singer and wife of senior Congress leader and ex spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, asking her to explain about certain, unaccounted jewelry purchases, amounting to Rs. 6 crores, purchased allegedly from a showroom owned by celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi, the chief accused in the PNB Scam.
According to the notice (as per the sources) Mrs. Singhvi was asked to explain how much she had paid in cash and through cheque to purchase the valuables and jewelry a few years back. It is understood that the I-T feels that about Rs 1.5 crore was paid by cheque for the purchase of the jewelry, while about Rs 4.8 crore was paid in cash by Anita Singhvi, approximately at the same juncture when the PNB scam was taking place.
As expected, Abhishek Singhvi cried hoarse, accusing the IT department and the Central Govt. of resorting to political vendetta. He replied on Twitter, saying they were false and that he would respond to the I-T notice “in accordance with the law.” “…purchases of jewellery allegedly in cash by my wife based on someone’s computer entry are no evidence. All 1.56 cr (crore) paid for fully in chq (cheque) and accounted for with receipts by India’s highest taxpayer (Singhvi himself),” the Congress leader wrote on Twitter.
In a sly attempt at attacking Narendra Modi, Mr. Singhvi also asked if there is a limit to the ‘harassment’ meted out to him. To quote his tweet sic. – ‘Harassment, innuendo, insinuation must have its limits. 1st leak to friendly media, then issue notice 2only one,’ he said wondering if the tax department would issue notices to all those whose names were found from the records of Nirav Modi after different probe agencies recently raided premises linked to him and seized documents and computer peripherals.
Mr. Singhvi struggle is visible on his twitter timeline. Take a look yourself:
1/4Timesnow conveniently carries selectively leaked doc allegedly recovered frm someone’s PC on 17/2; spends 10 hrs repeating same thing; IT issues notice with queries on 20/2; released to press immly. Defn of privacy & hounding by Govt re India’s highest taxpayer in My category
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
2/4 IT queries by letter wl be replied to in accordance with law. All docs asked for wl be submitted. Don’t intend to give pleasure of trial by media to some sections of so called media which define objectivity as doing Govt bidding. Why no notice to anyone else in that list.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
3/4 r other names on list going 2get notice or only me? Receipts, chqs and bills wl be produced BT wl govts favourite channel name a few others on the alleged list or are all energies of IT and few channels concentrated only on my family?
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
4/4 hope alleged unaccounted payments for jewellery purchase is not govts best response to 11300 cr ghapla under its watch? And hope all customers and purchasers on this alleged list get same notices and same attn by govts fav channel?
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
1/2Repeat wht I said on 17/2-neither my family nor I nor any co of ours has the remotest lender borrower s’holder or director interest in any modi/Chokshi co. 1 co-adwait-had five yr old tenancy to modi co (vacated in 2017) & my wife purchased some jewellery all paid in chq
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
2/2 IT has sent questionnaire which wl be answered in accordance with law. All supporting docs wl be produced. But (a) has notice been sent to all others on that list or only one who happens to he in Cong party (b) whose computer seized on which date and how many names on list?
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 20, 2018
However, the reality is far from assuring. The ex-Rajya Sabha MP is far from being a man with an impeccable political record. The Harvard University educated lawyer was once caught on tape in compromising positions with his intern, whom he allegedly promised to give a job, and the CD caused much furore in the nation as well as the Parliament, as a result of which Mr. Singhvi was forced to resign from his post.
Besides, being accused of corruption is not new to Mr. Singhvi. In 2014, he was fined a sum of Rs. 57 crore by the Income Tax department for failing to explain his sources of the expenditure he used to run his office as Parliamentarian. Every time the NDA government introduced a measure that would seemingly hit hard on corruption, be it demonetization or GST, Abhishek Manu Singhvi would be one of the first few to cry vendetta within moments of the implementation.
In his aim to popularize the Congress agenda, he even to accuse Reliance Group of being hand in glove with the dealers in case of the alleged ‘scam’ in buying of Rafale planes, without any proper proof or source to back his claim. As of now, he’s got a taste of his own medicine, with the concerned segment of Reliance Group having filed a huge defamation suit of Rs. 5000 crores against him on the same.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Congress is a fighting a futile battle in order to keep itself alive in Indian politics. With innumerable skeletons of their wrongdoings coming out from the cupboard, including the latest PNB scam, they’re only digging their grave deeper by resorting to cheap tactics against Modi govt.
