New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday targeted the Congress over a recent report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) over alleged Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Market claiming that the report involved Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi.
Reacting sharply to the report titled 'Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Market' released by the global watchdog FATF, Thakur said, "One after another model of corruption of Congress is coming to the fore. Now a case study by FATF, a foreign agency, has found how a Union Minister in the UPA government pressured to buy Priyanka Gandhi's painting for Rs 2 crore”.
Taking a swipe at the Congress over the report, Thakur said, “Corruption as an art and the art of corruption should be learnt from Congress”. The Union I&B Minister used the opportunity to target the Congress leaders currently protesting against the Modi government over the Adani row.
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"All corrupt leaders are now seen on one stage. One party demands Padma Bhushan for its leaders and other party deals in corruption in selling paintings instead of Padma Bhushan awards," he said adding, "Is the FATF report not a case study of the Congress's corruption model."
Terror funding investigating agencies are now investigating case studies on Congress corruption. Now your corruption is being debated internationally and your are defaming India at the international stage, Thakur said in an apparent swipe at Rahul Gandhi's recent address at the Cambridge University wherein he discussed "threats to Indian democracy." Come back and seek a pardon from the nation. You have defamed the nation, Thakur adviced.
Until now, the media and people of the country used to talk about the Financial Action Task Force only in terms of Pakistan's position in the grey list, but now the same FATF is in discussion is in the context of India. A family has bowed the country's head in shame in front of the whole world, the Minister said.
"It is a matter of great shame that the story of corruption of the Gandhi family is being made a case study and being told to the whole world, that too by an organization that works to stop terror financing," he added. Taking the name of Priyanka Gandhi, Thakur said, "I would like to ask Priyanka Gandhi ji whether this pressure was created. Who is this Mr. R from whom the work of taking money and giving paintings was done? Is he in the country or abroad? Is Padma Bhushan in exchange of money corruption model of Congress?”
