Bansal's kin hit back at BJP: 'no biz ties with Singla'

On a day the railway bribery issue rocked Parliament and the opposition demanded that railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal step down, Bansal's family spoke up.

On a day the railway bribery issue rocked Parliament and the opposition demanded that railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal step down, Bansal's family spoke up.

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On May 3, Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla was caught taking a bribe of Rs 90 lakh, which triggered the crisis.

On Monday, Bansal's wife Madhu and nephew Vikram launched a scathing attack on BJP leader and former MP Satya Pal Jain, who had claimed that the Bansals and Singla have common business interests.

"It is conspiracy," Madhu said. Denying any business relations with Singla, she added, "We are not responsible for what he does".

"Satya Pal Jain is talking about my wealth and property, but I wonder how a paper vendor could manage to buy a 2 kanal house in Chandigarh," Vikram wrote on social networking website Facebook.

Bansal's family had always been his biggest support group. The nearly 50-strong clan includes not just his wife and sons, but six sisters, a brother, their spouses and children. For almost two decades - during which Bansal was elected to the Lok Sabha four times - they have been helping him manage his political career.

Public relations are handled by Vikram. Another nephew Mohinder Pratap Singh also plays a vital role during elections. Bansal's wife Madhu and sons Amit and Manish pitch in with door-to-door campaigns.