Lalit Modi row: Rajasthan BJP targets Gehlot's son, defends Dushyant

The BJP’s Rajasthan unit on Friday accused former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son of money laundering, in an apparent counterattack on the Congress for demanding chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s resignation over her family’s alleged links with Lalit Modi.

The BJP’s Rajasthan unit on Friday accused former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son of money laundering, in an apparent counterattack on the Congress for demanding chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s resignation over her family’s alleged links with Lalit Modi.

The Congress has attacked Raje’s 41-year-old son, Dushyant Singh, for his business dealings with former IPL chief Modi, which are under the Enforcement Directorate’s scrutiny.

On Friday, the BJP’s state unit sought to turn the tables on its rival party, alleging that a company in which Gehlot’s son Vaibhav was a legal consultant received black money from a Mauritius-based firm but no inquiry was initiated by the former Congress government.

Health minister Rajendra Rathore said the fictitious Mauritius-based company bought 2.5 lakh shares of Triton Hotels and Resorts, owned by a Gehlot family friend, at much higher rates. “The firm was a front to route money to purchase shares,” he alleged.

Dushyant is facing similar accusations as Modi’s company has allegedly bought shares of his hotels at extremely high rates during 2008-2010.

State BJP president Ashok Parnami cleared Raje’s son, saying his company’s details were in the public domain and mentioned in his tax returns and election affidavit.

“You cannot valuate his property, like you cannot valuate the Taj Mahal,” he said.

The counter-offensive came after the BJP central leadership defended Raje and Dushyant, ruling out her resignation or that of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj who were accused of offering undue favours to Modi.