Nirav Modi video shows uncanny similarity between him and PM Modi: Rahul

Team Udayavani, Mar 9, 2019, 1:10 PM IST

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the recent video of the PNB scam accused Nirav Modi in the UK shows an “uncanny similarity” between the two as both “believe they are above the law”.

Gandhi’s jibe came after a UK media report claimed that Nirav Modi, wanted in India in the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case, has been living openly in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London’s West End and is running a new diamond business just yards away.

“The video of fugitive #NiravModi in London shows an uncanny similarity between him & his bhai, PM Modi. Both have looted India and are called Modi. Both refuse to answer any questions. Both believe they are above the law. Both will face justice,” the Congress chief tweeted.

In a video posted by the Telegraph newspaper, Nirav Modi can be seen sporting a handle-bar moustache and wearing an Ostrich Hide jacket, estimated to cost 10,000 pounds.

On being accosted by reporters and questioned on various issues, including whether he had applied for political asylum in Britain and what he had to say about the charges against him, Nirav Modi responded with a curt: “No comment”.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the main accused in Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam and they both left India before the details of the fraud came to light in January 2018.

The Congress slammed the government on Saturday over the media report, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running a “fraudster settlement yojana” for such fugitives.

The opposition party also alleged that fugitives had looted Rs 1 lakh crore from Indian banks but not even one of them has been caught in five years of the Modi government.

The ruling BJP hit back saying Nirav Modi began his fraud in 2011 when the UPA dispensation was in power and that the Narendra Modi government detected and exposed it.