In a retort back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday dared the former to hold a probe by the CBI or ED into whether businessmen Adani and Ambani sent his party "money in a tempo".
Rahul Gandhi's remarks came after PM Modi targeted him at an election rally saying why he has "stopped" naming Adani and Ambani in his attacks and whether he has received money from them in return.
Taking a swipe at Modi, Rahul Gandhi in a video message asked whether Modi was speaking from his "personal experience" about money being sent by businessmen.
"The money that PM Modi has given to the two businessmen, the Congress party will give the same amount of money to the people of India through the various schemes that the party has promised," he said.
"The country knows who is the driver and helper of the BJP's tempo of corruption," he said on micro-blogging site—X.
"Modi ji, are you a little scared? Normally you talk about Adani and Ambani in closed doors, but for the first time you have talked about Adani and Ambani in public," he said in the video message.
"You also know that they give money in a tempo. Is it your personal experience?" he said.
"Do one thing - send the CBI, ED to them and carry out a thorough investigation and don't be scared," he said.
Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of having a "deal" with "Ambani and Adani", and asked if the party has received "tempo loads of black money" from the two businessmen for its leader Rahul Gandhi to stop "abusing" them.
"Since his Rafale issue got grounded, he started chanting about 'five industrialists'. Then he started saying Ambani-Adani. But ever since elections have been announced, these people (Congress) have stopped abusing Ambani-Adani.
"I want to ask from Telangana soil, let the Shehzada announce, how much has been lifted from Ambani-Adani. Has tempo loads of money reached the Congress? What deal has been arrived at that abusing Ambani-Adani has stopped overnight?" he said while addressing an election rally at Vemulawada in Telangana.
"Certainly something is fishy. For five years, (they) abused Adani-Ambani and it stopped overnight. It means you have received some tempo loads of 'chori ka maal' (loot)... Kaale dhan ki kitni boriya bharkar ke rupaye maare hai (how many sacks of black money you have taken). You have to answer the nation," he said.
