In a major development in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation fund row, it has now been revealed that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi had made undisclosed donations to the Sonia Gandhi-led Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in 2014-15, reports Times Now. The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s chairperson is Sonia Gandhi with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manmohan Singh and several others as the trustees.
When one looks at the Annual Reports of the the Rajiv Gandhi foundation received funds from an organisation named Naviraj Estates Private Limited.
Mehul Choksi is one of the directors of this company. It is, however, not yet clear how much fund did Rajiv Gandhi Foundation receive from Mehul Choksi.
It is important to note that Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are economic fugitives, who fled the country in 2018 after Rs 14,000-crore PNB fraud surfaced. Choksi got the citizenship of Antigua after fleeing from the country after he was accused in the multi-crore PNB scam.
The new disclosure comes at a time when the Congress party is already facing all the heat over its secret deals with the Communist Party of China (CPC). There have been serious allegations against the Congress party and its interim chief Sonia Gandhi over receiving funds from not only China but also for diverting public money for her private foundation.
China funds Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
On Friday, shocking details had emerged in which it was revealed how the Chinese government had donated funds to ‘Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’ during the UPA era under the garb of charities.
We had reported how the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received donations from not just the Embassy of China but also the Government of China not once but at least thrice between 2005 and 2009. One donation amounted to Rs 10 lakhs and another one amounted to Rs 90 lakhs was funded by the Chinese to the Sonia-Gandhi controlled Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
The Annual Statements of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had also revealed a far more sinister agenda as it turned out, the Chinese government had not only donated to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in the year 2006 but subsequent years as well.
It is pertinent to note that Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and since the year 2005, of which documents have been reviewed, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were the trustees.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from PMNRF
In the year 2005-2006, the Annual Report makes a disclosure that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received a donation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The same disclosure is also made in the 2006-2007 report. Again in 2007-2008, the Foundation for a ‘donation’ from the PMNRF.
Though the amount of such donation is not clear yet, it is a fact that a donation was indeed made.
The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in the year 1948. Initially, the purpose of the fund was to provide assistance to displaced people from Pakistan during and right after the partition of India.
The resources of the PMNRF are now utilized primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc. and to the victims of the major accidents and riots.
Not Just China: RGF received funds from other foreign governments too
Over the years, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has also received donations from the Governments of Ireland, Luxembourg and the European Union as well.
Apart from that, the RGF has also received donations from numerous other dubious sources. One of the sources it received a lot of funds from is the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung. FNS is a liberal organisation based in Germany that is closely associated with the liberal political establishment in the country and is a major donor for the RGF.
Ministries of Indian Government donated to RGF during UPA rule
In addition to such organisations, the RGF has also received huge donations from multiple government institutions. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund is one of them but their annual reports reveal that RGF received funds from multiple government ministries when the UPA was in power.
The Ministries who were partners with RGF and donated to them include the Ministries of Environment and Forest, Health and Family Welfare, Small Scale Industries and even the Ministry of Home Affairs. All of this is greatly disturbing.
