Raising the pitch on the BJP’s silence on the gas pricing issue, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to come clean on his connections with Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
“Helicopters and private jets are being used whenever you and Rahul Gandhi travel within the country and abroad. As per the news reports, the aircraft services you and Rahul Gandhi use are free of cost. Spending in your election rallies are worth crores of rupees. Some people say Mukesh Ambani funds you. Is that true?”
The former Delhi Chief Minister also questioned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s silence in the matter. He said he would write a similar letter to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “We want him to speak on the issue as the decision to increase gas price was taken by the UPA government.”
In an open letter to Mr. Modi, Mr. Kejriwal said the nation wanted to know whether he would supply gas at the current price or at $8 per unit from April 1, proposed by the UPA government, if his party forms the government at the Centre.
Mr. Ambani would gain Rs.54,000 crore from the hiked price, “which is higher than the annual budget for Delhi,” he said.
Mr. Kejriwal claimed that “Parimal Nathani, the group president of Mukesh Ambani companies, was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha with his [Mr. Modi’s] help.”
Mr. Kejriwal said the party would not accept a single penny from RIL chief Mukesh Ambani as election fund. Asked if he was not playing politics over the gas pricing issue, he said: “One should do politics on gas pricing, land and order and rape issues, not on caste and religion.”
Rajmohan Gandhi joins AAP
Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday. “The AAP’s fearless focus on corruption and the idea that power should belong to the grassroot is a very powerful Gandhian thought,” he said, adding that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections if the party desired.