Congress questions PM's silence on bank fraud cases

New Delhi : The Congress party on Monday, after giving notices for suspension of all business in Parliament to discuss the bank fraud cases, asked why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent on the issue of jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

Demanding an answer from him, the party also sought an assurance from the Prime Minister that people's money will be recovered, and Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi will be brought back and punished under as per the law of land.

"Leader of Opposition (in Rajya Sabha) Ghulam Nabi Azad has informed that notices were given for the suspension of all business to discuss the biggest bank fraud in the history of Independent India. 

"The loot of public money and the numbers are climbing up, the total amount involved as of now is more than Rs 27,000 crore between three entities -- Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Winsome Diamond's Jatin Mehta," said senior Congress leader Anand Sharma.

"All the three had access to the government and the leadership of this government. They were personally known to the Prime Minister," he said. 

"The Prime Minister's Office, RBI, Serious Fraud Information Office (SFIO) and the Enforcement Directorate received complaints. So, when all the agencies were alerted, how were these people allowed to escape from the country, from the law of the land?" he said. 

The money of people is not safe in banks, he said.

"The government on its own, as he (Azad) said and the opposition has collectively demanded, should have agreed to what we are saying -- to discuss this because the money of the people is not safe in the banks," said Sharma.

"Hard-earned money of the people, their savings are in bank deposits. That has been looted. Why has the Prime Minister chosen to be quiet?

"We have just said that after Nirav Modi escaped from the country, he was there in Davos in a picture with Modi..."

"He should assure that peoples' money will be recovered. That is the message which the country wants to hear. But we have a situation that Modiji is silent on it. He talks on every other matter but this one."

He further said: "The Prime Minister and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley know that the opposition will demand answers to these questions and they want to run away from their responsibility. They are a complete failure in preventing the loot despite the alerts and warnings."