BJP dismisses Cong charge of conflict of interest against Gadkari

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday demanded from Union road transport and highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari to come clean on allegations that a company partly owned by his private secretary Vaibhav Dange was receiving funds from the NDA government.

The BJP dismissed the allegations as “baseless”, saying that the charge stemmed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “rising popularity and spotlessly clean” governance that has left the opposition party “rattled”.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that Dange and another person had floated the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) on October 9, 2014, with a paid up capital of ₹1 lakh.

“Dange owns a 50% stake in it. IFGE received ₹1.5 crore since its inception and the money came from the ministries controlled by Gadkari,” he alleged.

“IFGE organises conclaves and programmes with PSUS and ministries under Gadkari’s control and receives financial contributions. It also receives contributions from private individuals, corporate entities and those who deal directly with ministries under Gadkari,” Ramesh said alleging a conflict of interest and claiming that his allegations were based on information available with the Registrar of Companies. He claimed that Dange had flouted the Central Civil Service (conduct) Rules that prohibit a public servant from accepting contributions or raising funds.

Dange could not be contacted for comment. While Gadkari was also not available for comment, BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao termed the allegations as “baseless”. “The allegations are much noise about nothing. Vaibhav himself has refuted these allegations in a written statement,” he said.

According to a corporate filing by the IFGE, copies of which were produced by the Congress, its office is in the national capital, Jairam said, claiming that it is owned by an executive member of IFGE, who is linked with a firm owned by the Gadkari family.