From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Feb 27: Mounting pressure on the corruption issue as well as seeking to tarnish the "squeaky clean" image cultivated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AICC Media In-Charge Randeep Singh Surjewala asked the self-proclaimed "chowkidar of the treasury" to break his silence and speak up on the "loot" of Rs 31,691 crore from the banking sector during the last 10 days alone.

"It is tax-payer's money and the people need an honest explanation," he said.

Addressing reporters at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru, the Congress leader alleged that "in past 10 days alone, 'Jan Dhan loot scams' worth Rs 31,691 crore have been exposed.

'Dupe the banks', 'siphon off to foreign shores' with people's money is the buzzword” under the Modi regime," he said.

Under the Modi Government, "entire banking sector's 'risk management system', 'fraud detection ability' and the 'regulatory mechanism' have been severally compromised.

However, prior knowledge of PMO, ED, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), and SEBI; as also BJP governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat of the ongoing scam by 'Modi-plus Choksi” has been established, the Congress leader alleged.

Surjewala asked searching questions:

- How could a celebrity jewellery businessman like Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi dupe the entire banking system through forged Letters of Understanding under the nose of Modi Government?

- How was the entire system bypassed? How did the entire fraud escape the four stage audit system of Banks - statutory audit, internal audit, concurrent audit and RBI audit?

The Prime Minister should answers to these questions and provide explanation to the people, the Congress leader said.

He took strong exception to Modi's allegations that the Congress government of Siddaramaiah in Karnataka was corrupt without producing a shred of evidence and publicly claim that he was told by few persons about the 10% commission.

When a Prime Minister speaks at any platform, people expect that the speech should be backed by facts and hard evidence and not gossip, Surjewala said.