Rahul attacks BJP over report on Doval’s son alleging ‘conflict of interest’

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP citing a news report which alleged a "prospect of conflict of interest" in National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's son Shaurya running an organisation that has some Union ministers on its board.

"Shah-zada ki apaar safalta ke baad, BJP ki nayi peshkash –Ajit Shaurya gatha (After the 'grand success' of 'Shah- Zada', BJP'S new presentation –the tale of Ajit Shaurya)," Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

The news report has alleged that Doval's son has a "prospect of conflict of interest" in running the think-tank, India Foundation, as Shaurya Doval is a partner in a financial services firm, the think-tank has some top ministers as directors and it relies on financial support from foreign and Indian corporates some of which have dealings with the government.

"The India Foundation's opaque financials, the presence of senior ministers as directors and the fact that executive director Shaurya Doval's day job is running Gemini Financial Services -- a firm that specialises in 'transactions and capital flows between the OECD and the emerging Asian economies' -- also raise the prospect of conflict of interest and lobbying," the media report said. Congress also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should fire the four Union ministers who are directors in the organisation and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

"Prime Minister Modi should fire all the four ministers who are on the board of the India Foundation. We want to ask Modiji when he will fire them," senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said here.