Smriti Irani hits out at Kejriwal for 'giving clean chit' to Satyendar Jain

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday lambasted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "giving a clean chit" to arrested Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain

Smriti Irani
"Is it true that Satyendar Jain is the beneficial owner of the shell companies namely Prayas InfoSolutions Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd and he controls them through shareholding along with his wife?" she asked.
ANI
3 min read Last Updated : Jun 01 2022 | 4:45 PM IST

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday lambasted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "giving a clean chit" to arrested Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain while also posing a set of questions to the Aam Aadmi Party supremo.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case and sent to custody till June 9.

However, Kejriwal on Tuesday defended Jain calling the latter a true patriot and terming the allegations against him 'false'.

Addressing a press conference here today, Irani said, "Arvind Kejriwal presumed the role of a judge and gave him a clean chit. I want to ask Arvind Kejriwal a few questions. My first question is, can Kejriwal deny that Satyendar Jain laundered Rs 16.39 crore using 56 shell companies with the support of hawala operators in Kolkata from 2010-11 to 2015-16?"

The Union Minister further asked if Satyendar Jain declared that money laundered representing the undisclosed income under the income disclosure scheme 2016 in the name of his close associates Ankush Jain, and Vaibhav Jain is a self-declaration by him in 2016.

"Is it true that the principal commissioner of income tax has held that the unaccounted income of Rs 16.39 crore was not of Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain, but that Satyendar Jain was the real owner of the income," she asked in her series of questions to the Delhi CM.

Citing an order of the Delhi High Court delivered on August 21, 2019, Irani said that the Court bench has confirmed the very findings of the principal commissioner of income tax that "Satyendar Jain indeed himself is the real owner of the money laundered".

"Is it true that Satyendar Jain is the beneficial owner of the shell companies namely Prayas InfoSolutions Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd and he controls them through shareholding along with his wife?" she asked.

"Is it true that through this black money, Satyendar Jain took the ownership of 200 bighas of land in many areas of Delhi to his advantage?" Irani added.

She further asked if providing a huge return on the investment on the land in the vicinity of unauthorised colonies by Satyendar Jain was the "real reason why the Aam Aadmi Party regularised the unauthorised colonies".

"Does Arvind Kejriwal knowingly now give patronage to those who have deceived the people? How long will 'Desh ka gaddar' continue to receive your support?" asked Irani.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal came out in the open to defend the arrested Minister, claiming that the case registered against him is fake and politically motivated.

"Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate. I have personally read all the papers and case filed against Satyendra Jain by ED and it is completely false. We have a very strict and honest government. We are hard-core patriots; we can get beheaded but can never betray the country. His arrest is politically motivated," Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference on Tuesday.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Arvind KejriwalSatyendar JainSmriti Irani

First Published: Jun 01 2022 | 4:19 PM IST

Next Story