Reacting to the arrest of his nephew Ratul Puri in an alleged bank loan fraud case, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday said that he has no links with Puri’s businesses.
“I do not have any links with Ratul Puri’s businesses, I never had,” Kamal Nath said while talking to the media in Bhopal.
Puri, former executive director of Moser Baer was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a Rs 354 crore bank fraud case filed by Central Bank of India. The ED has also claimed that Puri was evading probe in the AgustaWestland chopper scam and has opposed his bail in the court of a special judge.
Kamal Nath has meanwhile said that Puri's arrest was motivated by malicious intent and it is unfortunate that all the institutions were being politically misused. “I am confident that the court will take the correct decision in the matter,” he said.
Indicating targeting of political opponents by the BJP government at the centre, Nath said that sometimes Chidambaram, Ahmed Patel, Shiv Sena leaders and even industrialists are targeted. “Where is the country being led to,” he asked, adding that he was not rattled by such developments.
Meanwhile, the MP unit of BJP has targeted the chief minister following Ratul Puri’s arrest. Spokesman Dr Hitesh Bajpai said that arrest of Ratul Puri makes it clear that Kamal Nath and his family were involved in AgustaWestland chopper scam. “It is unfortunate that Kamal Nath is occupying the chair of CM of Madhya Pradesh illegally by taking benefit of a fractured mandate. At least now Rahul Gandhi should give the reins of Congress in Madhya Pradesh to leaders like (Jyotiradiya) Scindia and cooperate in the investigations,” Dr Bajpai said.
