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IL&FS crisis: Jaitley hits back at Congress, calls it ‘national saboteur’
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Facing constant attack on the IL&FS crisis, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday hit back at the Congress accusing it of “spreading disinformation” and said the “perverted Rahul Gandhi school of thinking” was finding a scam in an investment by financial institutions in a company.
Calling Congress a “national saboteur”, he asked whether all those instances of public sector entities investing in IL&FS during the UPA regime were a scam.
“The financial institutions’ investment in any company – ‘is it a scam’ as Rahul Gandhi and his coterie are spreading? Was it a scam in 1987 when the IL&FS was promoted with the Central Bank of India having 50.5 per cent shares and the UTI having 30.5 per cent shares,” Jaitley asked in a Facebook post.
“Was it a scam in 2005 when LIC acquired 15 per cent stake in IL&FS and in March, 2006 when it acquired another 11.10 per cent stake? In fact, LIC further bought 19.34 lakh shares in IL&FS in 2010,” he added.
“Do I start calling all these investments today ‘a scam’ as per ‘the perverted Rahul Gandhi school of thinking’?”
The Minister said the Congress must remember that “the days of crony capitalism” were over and that NDA government dealt with such challenges “objectively and professionally”.
Jaitley’s remarks came a day after Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that public money was being used to bail out the debt-ridden IL&FS group.
In a tweet, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bailing out the group which had a long-term debt liability of around Rs 91,000 crore via public savings in LIC and the State Bank of India.
“From where has he invented a proposal of Rs 91,000 crore investment likely to take place by LIC and SBI in the IL&FS,” Jaitley asked.
“The Congress Party, for the last few days, has been busy spreading misinformation about the government’s possible moves in relation to the private sector company IL&FS. The Congress is a national saboteur. It wants to sabotage India’s economy by allowing a situation in relation to a company to persist, expand and become unmanageable. It lacks statesmanship and vision,” he said.
The Minister added that it was, in fact, a section of the Congress leadership which was urging him to enable investments in the IL&FS and save the company.
“A senior Congress leader, K.V. Thomas, who is a former Union Minister and has been the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, has written to me on September 20 making such a request.
“It demolishes every word that Rahul Gandhi and his coterie has been spreading. It may be advisable for Rahul Gandhi to get some ‘words of wisdom’ from Thomas,” he said.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.