The Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political “musical chairs” by seeking to swap “one alleged corrupt official for another” and asked him to come clean on whether former Prasar Bharti chairman Navneet Sehgal, who is facing allegations of corruption, will be brought to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to replace Hiren Joshi.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress’ media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera referred to a Newslaundry report which had cited a confidential Income Tax report in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, that named Sehgal in a Rs 112-crore kickback network. The confidential Income Tax report cited systematic bureaucratic corruption with senior bureaucrat Sehgal at the top of the pyramid, Newslaundry reported.
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Khera asked if Joshi, who was officer on special duty (OSD) and handling media affairs in the PMO, is being replaced with Sehgal.
Speculation about Joshi’s exit and present status has been rife on social media including unverified viral claims linking him to Mahadev app, an illicit betting-app network. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also alleged that an official in the PMO is involved in a multi-crore betting app.
Khera posed five questions and asked what other rackets are operating in the PMO and who is accountable.
“If officials linked to betting app scams can function at the heart of the PMO, what does this say about PM Modi? Why has PM Modi become ‘Maun Modi’ who was once accusing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of bathing wearing a raincoat?” he
“What is the current status of Hiren Joshi? Has he been formally removed, suspended, or placed under investigation? Is PM Modi personally shielding him from scrutiny? Are media reports correct that Hiren Joshi is being replaced by Navneet Kumar Sehgal, an officer named in an Income Tax investigation for large-scale corruption during his tenure under the Adityanath government? Why is PM Modi playing musical chairs by replacing one allegedly corrupt official with another instead of ensuring accountability?” Khera asked.
Khera also questioned why Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath failed to take any action after the Income Tax department shared its findings with the government.
“Is this not an outright whitewashing of corruption, even as PM Modi continues to chant ‘na khaunga, na khane dunga’?
The Wire has earlier reported that Joshi, Officer on Special Duty or OSD (Communications & Information Technology) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), who has been a permanent presence in WhatsApp message feeds of prominent journalists in big media, was removed and then brought back. Sehgal’s sudden resignation just 20 months into a three-year tenure further fuelled speculation around what was going on and if his sudden exit was linked to Joshi in some way.
Also Read: https://www.vibesofindia.com/after-speculation-of-being-silently-dropped-pmo-key-communications-lead-hiren-joshi-is-back/ After Speculation Of Being ‘Silently Dropped’ PMO Key Communications Lead Hiren Joshi Is Back
