New Delhi : Taking a jibe at Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday if the JPC is allowed in an individual’s case, then it can also probe the source of the Louis Vuitton scarf that the leader of the opposition was wearing.
Goyal was replying to Kharge’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe in the Adani case in Rajya Sabha.
“In 2014, PM Modi said na khaunga na khane dunga. Now I want to ask why he is letting some industrialists ‘eat’. The wealth of one of the closest friends of PM Modi increased by 12 times in 2.5 years. In 2014, it was Rs 50, 000 crore while in 2019 it became Rs one lakh crore. I don’t know what magic happened that his assets touched Rs 12 lakh crore in just two years, ” Kharge said amid protests from the BJP MPs.
The Leader of Opposition Kharge added further, “That’s why we are demanding that there should be a JPC probe in the case so that everything will be clear before the country.”
However, the chair said that “the discourse can’t be on allegations that you can’t substantiate. I cannot allow this House to be a platform of freefall of information.”
Replying to Kharge, Goyal said, “He is talking of a purported wealth that does not have any merit. That is a share market calculation. The Joint Committee is formed when the allegations are proved like in the case of coal-gate or the 2G scam or when there are any allegations against the government.”
“As per his demand, if a joint parliamentary committee is formed in the case of any individual probe, then the committee can also probe the scarf of Louis Vuitton which he is wearing. The JPC can also probe who paid for his scarf or from where he got this and how much money he spent to buy this. But this is not the function of JPC, ” Goyal added in his reply.
