BJP attacks Congress on poll ticket to lawyer who represented Mehul Choksi

NEW DELHI/BENGAL

URU: The BJP on Tuesday hit out at the Congress for giving a ticket in upcoming Karnataka assembly polls to a lawyer who had represented fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, and alleged that the tainted businessman enjoyed the "patronage" of Rahul Gandhi.

"H S Chandramauli has been given a Congress ticket from the Madikeri constituency for Karnataka Assembly election next month because he represented Choksi," BJP spokeperson G V L Rao alleged.

The party's reaction came after Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa, who lost out to lawyer Chandramauli in the race for party ticket from Madikeri, put out a cryptic message on Twitter: "I have never represented Mehul Choksi nor have I been given the party nomination."

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Rao alleged, "Choksi enjoyed the patronage, strength and support of Rahul Gandhi in the party."

The Congress President has in the past dismissed BJP'S allegations of having links with Choksi.

"Choksi was the third sonin-law of the Congress after Vadra (Priyanka Gandhi's husband Rober Vadra) and

Vijay Mallya, who is also an accused in a bank fraud," Rao said. Chandramouli was Choksi's advocate when he moved the Karnataka High Court in 2016 against the state government and S V Hariprasad, a city-based businessman who had filed the complaint of cheating against Choksi, BJP leaders claimed. Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi are among the accused in the scam related to alleged cheating of the Punjab National Bank to the tune of about USD two billion.

The in-charge of BJP'S national information and technology cell, Amit Malviya, used the hash-tag #CongressWithnirav on Twitter and asked why lawyer Chandramouli was given ticket from Madikeri while it was denied to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's legal advisor and party spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa, who hails from the area.