BJP releases ‘Congress Files’ part 2 video: Rana Kapoor, MF Husain and ₹2 crore

The Bharatiya Janata Party has released the second episode of the ‘Congress Files’, accusing the grand old party of corruption and extortion.

The second episode of the Congress Files released on Monday shows the alleged extortion in the name of a painting and the promise of Padma Bhushan.

Referring to a FATF report, the BJP highlighted former Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor’s statement to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in which he had claimed that he was pushed to buy an MF Husain painting from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for ₹2 crore, and that he was promised Padma Bhushan – one of the country’s top civilian awards – in return.

The video claimed that the money was supposed to be used for former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s treatment.

The Congress has already termed as a “political vendetta” the allegation by Rana Kapoor and questioned his and the ED’s credibility.

The BJP’s video features a “case study” that purportedly exposes corruption by the Gandhi family, citing the global watchdog on money laundering and terror financing, FATF.

Rana Kapoor’s statement, recorded by the ED on March 9 and 10, 2020, added that the sale was facilitated by senior Congress leader Murli Deora — a fact that has been previously reported. It added that a few weeks later after the purchase, senior Congress leader, the late Ahmed Patel, had appreciated his “good deed” and informed him that he (Kapoor) would be “duly considered” for a major civilian honour, and “possibly some non-political banking and finance assignments”. This statement was part of a supplementary charge sheet filed by ED to the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai in April 2022.

HT had earlier reviewed a copy of it. To be sure, both Deora and Patel have passed on and there was no way of verifying Kapoor’s statement.

Kapoor, 63, has been lodged in a Mumbai jail since March 2020 after he was arrested by the ED in connection with alleged financial irregularities and purported kickbacks paid to him and his family members in return for certain dubious loans provided by Yes Bank to some high-profile borrowers.

On Sunday, the BJP had launched a fresh assault on the Congress over allegations of corruption during its tenure by releasing the first episode of ‘Congress Files’. In a tweet from the official BJP Twitter handle, the party invited viewers to “see how one after the other corruption and scams took place under the Congress rule”.

The video message “Congress means corruption” claimed that the Congress had looted a staggering amount of ₹48,20,69,00,00,000 from the public during its 70-year rule, money that could have been better used for development and security. According to the video, this amount could have been used to build 24 INS Vikrant ships, purchase 300 Rafale jets, or fund 1000 Mangal Missions. However, instead of progress, the country had to bear the cost of Congress’ corruption, the message added. Furthermore, the BJP dubbed the Congress’ tenure from 2004-2014 as a “Lost Decade”.