by NEW DELHI: Kanpur-based businessman Piyush Jain, from whom income tax authorities have made “biggest ever seizure of cash” in raids, on Tuesday took centrestage in UP’s political slugfest with the BJP and the Samajwadi Party citing his case to target each other.
While the BJP leaders linked the perfume trader to the Samajwadi Party, former chief minister and opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the BJP had raided one of its own in a case of “mistaken identity.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Kanpur to inaugurate the city Metro, took a veiled dig at the SP over the seizure of crores of rupees and mockingly said it was the “achievement and reality” of the opposition party.
“Boxes filled with notes have stumbled out. I was thinking they will say that this was also done by us. The people of Kanpur understand business and trade well. Before 2017, the perfume of corruption that they had sprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh is there for everyone to see,” Modi said at a rally.
“But now, they are sitting with their mouths shut. They are not coming forward to take credit for the mountain of currency notes seen by the entire country. This is their achievement and their reality. The people of Uttar Pradesh are seeing and understanding everything and hence, they are with those who are working to take the state forward,” the PM said.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav was quick to hit back. He categorically denied any links between his party and Piyush Jain and mockingly said the BJP got “its own businessman” raided “by mistake”.
“By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Piyush Jain raided,” Yadav told reporters in Unnao.
Responding to PM’s attack over “perfume of corruption,” the SP leader claimed that ‘Samajwadi Itr’ was launched by party MLC Pushpraj Jain.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah also mounted a blistering attack on the Samajwadi Party when he said that ABCD for SP meant -‘A’ for apradh, ‘B’ for -bhai-bhatija’, ‘C’ for corruption and ‘D’ for danga.
“BJP has wiped off this ABCD. When Piyush Jain was raided, it was Akhilesh Yadav who felt uneasy. Who does this money belong to?” he asked while addressing a rally in Hardoi.
In multiple raids by the income tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, around Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver were seized from perfume trader Piyush Jain’s house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj.
The finance ministry has said that it is the “biggest ever seizure of cash” by an enforcement agency.
(With inputs from agencies)
While the BJP leaders linked the perfume trader to the Samajwadi Party, former chief minister and opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the BJP had raided one of its own in a case of “mistaken identity.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Kanpur to inaugurate the city Metro, took a veiled dig at the SP over the seizure of crores of rupees and mockingly said it was the “achievement and reality” of the opposition party.
“Boxes filled with notes have stumbled out. I was thinking they will say that this was also done by us. The people of Kanpur understand business and trade well. Before 2017, the perfume of corruption that they had sprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh is there for everyone to see,” Modi said at a rally.
“But now, they are sitting with their mouths shut. They are not coming forward to take credit for the mountain of currency notes seen by the entire country. This is their achievement and their reality. The people of Uttar Pradesh are seeing and understanding everything and hence, they are with those who are working to take the state forward,” the PM said.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav was quick to hit back. He categorically denied any links between his party and Piyush Jain and mockingly said the BJP got “its own businessman” raided “by mistake”.
“By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Piyush Jain raided,” Yadav told reporters in Unnao.
Responding to PM’s attack over “perfume of corruption,” the SP leader claimed that ‘Samajwadi Itr’ was launched by party MLC Pushpraj Jain.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah also mounted a blistering attack on the Samajwadi Party when he said that ABCD for SP meant -‘A’ for apradh, ‘B’ for -bhai-bhatija’, ‘C’ for corruption and ‘D’ for danga.
“BJP has wiped off this ABCD. When Piyush Jain was raided, it was Akhilesh Yadav who felt uneasy. Who does this money belong to?” he asked while addressing a rally in Hardoi.
In multiple raids by the income tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, around Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver were seized from perfume trader Piyush Jain’s house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj.
The finance ministry has said that it is the “biggest ever seizure of cash” by an enforcement agency.
(With inputs from agencies)
