National
BJP refutes Congress allegations over Jatin Mehta as blatant lie
New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Refuting the Congress’s allegation that the NDA government helped jeweller Jatin Mehta, who has duped banks — including the PNB — of Rs 6,712 crore, flee from India, the BJP on Tuesday said he not only acquired “toxic assets” but also flew out of India during the UPA regime.
“Most of the advances or Letters of Credit or all the loans were taken between September 2010 and February 2013. If there was lack of due diligence or there was connivance in the banking sector to make these advances available, that was entirely during the previous UPA regime,” Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told a press conference.
Puri was responding to Congress allegations that the alleged jeweller duped banks of Rs 6,712 crore during NDA regime and the Prime Minister was silent.
“Many of these loans, bulk of these, took place during UPA 2. There were some loans of earlier vintage which go back to UPA 1,” the minister said.
Puri said Mehta’s last entry in the country and exit from the country was on July 25, 2013, when UPA was in power.
“To suggest that the NDA government has either anything to do with the generation of those toxic assets or those defaults, is a blatant lie. This is like ‘ulta chor kotwal ko daante’ (pot calling the kettle black). The Congress allegations are absurd,” he said.
Puri said Mehta had acquired the nationality of St. Kitts in 2012 and despite that he came to India four times on Indian passport.
“He acquired the nationality of St. Kitts in 2012 and used the same passport to travel to India for eight times. He took citizenship of St. Kitts before expiry of his Indian passport. It seems that he was given privilege in obtaining OCI card,” he said.
He said that the NDA government initiated action against Mehta soon after it came to power in 2014.
“The first complaint against him was filed in September 2014. The CBI and the ED registered cases against him as the scale of corruption came into notice. Atleast six FIRs were registered in 2017 only,” he said.
The Congress had on March 1 claimed that the “art of leaving after defrauding banks” is the new culture under the Narendra Modi government, and said that after the PNB fraud accused Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi (jewellers from Palanpur, Gujarat), Mehta had duped the banks, including the Punjab National Bank, of Rs 6,712 crore.
“This exposure of Rs 6,712 crore is of three Mehta companies — Winsome Diamonds and Jewellery Limited, Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds Limited, and Su Raj Diamonds.
Surjewala said Mehta and his wife gave up their Indian citizenship on June 2, 2016 and settled down in international tax haven of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, with which the Indian government has no extradition treaty.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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