Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari could be in trouble again, but this time for presenting a diamond-studded garland to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi after the latter was declared as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) raised the issue on Thursday and asked the price of the garland along with the source of the money used to buy it. It has also asked about the current whereabouts of the garland.
Talking to reporters, party spokesman Nawab Malik said that when Mr Modi’s candidature was declared by party president Rajnath Singh on September 13, other party leaders presented the Gujarat CM with flower garlands. However, Mr Gadkari went a step ahead and offered him a garland studded with diamonds
“Mr Modi happily wore that garland for quiet some time. Later it was passed on to his personal assistant standing just behind the Gujarat chief minister, while the rest of the garlands were put in front,” Mr Malik said.
He asked about the price of the garland and the source on income used to buy it. He also demanded the whereabouts of the garland saying that Mr Modi being the chief minister of a state, it should be kept in the state treasury.
“We wanted to know the price of the garland and where it has been kept. BJP is the party with transparency and I am sure it will inform the people about that garland,” the NCP leader said. He added that the whole sequence was recorded by news cameras and that they could be seen as proof of his claim.