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Smriti Irani says attack on her teen daughter is price of her speaking against Gandhis
The Congress demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack Irani, alleging that an illegal bar was being run in Goa by her daughter, who rejected the charge.
Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday slammed the Congress and rejected its allegation as malicious that her daughter ran an “illegal bar” in Goa, and said the college student was targeted because of her mother's vocal stand on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's " ₹5,000-crore loot" in the alleged National Herald money laundering case.
She asserted her 18-year-old daughter is a first-year college student and does not run any bar.
The Congress "assassinated" and "publicly mutilated" her daughter's character, Irani said in a hard-hitting press conference and dared the Opposition party to show the evidence of any wrongdoing.
"My daughter's fault is that her mother holds a press conference on the loot of ₹5,000 cr by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Her fault is that her mother fought against Rahul Gandhi in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls," the BJP MP said.
The BJP leader dared Rahul Gandhi to fight from Amethi Lok Sabha seat again in 2024, and vowed that she will make him bite the dust again.
"I will seek answers in the court of law and the court of people," she said in reaction to the allegation.
Earlier in the day, the Congress demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack Irani as a minister, alleging that an "illegal bar" was being run in Goa by her daughter.
Noting that it is a "very serious issue", the Congress also shared a copy of the show cause notice given to the bar, and said the excise official who gave the notice is reportedly being transferred after pressure from authorities.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera told reporters that there are serious charges of corruption against Irani's family and her daughter is allegedly running a restaurant in Goa, in which a bar is functioning on a "fake licence".
"The licence by Smriti Irani's daughter is in the name of a person who died in May 2021, and the licence was taken in June 2022 in Goa. But the person in whose name the licence is, had died 13 months ago. This is illegal," he told reporters.
He said according to Goa rules, a restaurant can get only one bar licence but this restaurant has got two bar licences.
To a question on Irani attacking Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader said, "There cannot be any comparison between something as noble as running a newspaper and something like running an illegal bar in Goa".
Hitting back, Irani said two middle-aged men dared to tarnish the dignity of an 18-year-old girl.
Irani asked, “Pawan Khera said a show-cause notice was given to my daughter and showed two papers. I want to ask today where is my daughter's name in these papers?”
“Jairam Ramesh said he is accusing my daughter on the basis of RTI. I ask Jairam Ramesh whether my daughter's name is there in that RTI. Is my daughter's name in the answer?” she added.
In a statement, the lawyer of Irani's daughter, Kirat Nagra, said his client is neither an owner nor operating the restaurant called Silly Souls Goa, and has also not received any show-cause notice from any authority whatsoever as alleged.
Nagra said various "erroneous, frivolous, malicious and defamatory social media posts being made by various vested quarters trying to settle political scores with our client's mother, the renowned politician Smriti Irani each of which are predicated on blatant falsities".
Terming the charges as "baseless", Nagra said, "It is unfortunate that they have resorted to spreading a false propaganda only to sensationalize a non issue without ascertaining true facts and with a predetermined objective of defaming Our Client for solely being the daughter of a political leader."
(With inputs from PTI)
