New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Demanding a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into allegations against Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's daughter Anar Patel of taking undue favours from the state government in an alleged land deal, the Congress on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean over the issue.
"Mr. Prime Minister, we ask you -- offer yourself for a fair probe so that accountability can be fixed," Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference.
"No government agency of the central government or state government can be trusted to conduct a probe in this matter when the principal players happen to be the chief minister and the former chief minister who is now the prime minister," he said.
"It would be in the interest of the institution of the prime minister that there is an independent probe by an SIT monitored by the Supreme Court so that the truth can come out, the violations established and accountability fixed," he added.
The Congress also accused Modi of allowing nepotism, conflict of interest and plunder of public land for commercial and business purposes as the chief minister of Gujarat and demanded probe into all the land allotments.
"When we are talking of an SIT probe, it is not limited only to this case of the Company Wildwood Resorts or the Business Associates of Anar Patel.
"We want the probe to cover all the allotments, allocations and grant of public lands, forest lands and the change of land-use during the time when Anandiben Patel was the revenue minister and Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat," he said.
The Congress also refuted the claims of Anar Patel, who on Saturday rubbished the Congress allegations.
"It is not the question of any allegation and if it happens that one's mother is a revenue minister and she wants to do good things in life, then the public land is not given to someone's kin at throwaway price," Sharma said.
"If she feels it is okay, then it would be nothing but laughable. Nobody can self certify for his own actions. It can be issued by SIT or the Supreme Court," he added.
Anar Patel rubbished the Congress allegations of taking undue favours from the state government after reports emerged claiming dubious land dealings involving her business associates.
"We never took any favour from any government organisation. We strictly followed all rules and regulations in all manners. It's disheartening that my individuality is attacked based on sheer assumptions," Anar said in a Facebook post.
