Congress, BJP spat on Rajiv Gandhi foundations funding

New Delhi: After the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday set up an inter-ministerial committee to probe various alleged violations of legal provisions by the Gandhi family-run Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, the verbal sparring between the two sides has escalated.

Former Union minister P. Chidambaram said that Congress party is not going to bow down as "Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi lived a life without fear. They faced death in the eye without fear. Both taught us that it is important to live and work fearlessly. And that is how we will face the 'witch hunt' by the Modi government."

The Congress in a statement has also dragged the name of foundations related to the BJP and raised doubts over Vivekananda Foundation, India Foundation linked to the BJP and also named RSS.

The Congress challenged the Modi government to hold a similar enquiry into the donations and the amounts received by the Vivekananda Foundation and the India Foundation (and other such foundations) from all sources including foreign sources, individuals, entities, organisations and governments.

Not only these but the Congress also demanded an enquiry into the donations and the amounts received by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from all sources including foreign ones.

The party also asked the government to reveal the funding of Overseas Friends of BJP (OF-BJP) and asked for an investigation into the connection of Shri Rajkumar Naraindas Sabnani alias Raju Sabnani to OF-BJP.

The BJP has maintained that the formation of inter-ministerial committee is no witch hunt but to maintain transparency.

"Nation is watching keenly to know about RGF....GOI & MHA has taken a right decision, keeping the high regard for transparency and probity," tweeted BJP leader P. Murlidhar Rao. (IANS)

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