Purti's investment accepted as genuine by I-T dept: Gurumurthy

New Delhi: RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, defending the BJP president, said that it is wrong to say that Nitin Gadkari laundered money as Purti's investment of Rs 47.34 crore was transparent and had been accepted as genuine by the I-T department in 2006.

Gurumurthy, who gave the BJP president a clean chit over his alleged dubious business dealings, revealed the findings of his own investigations into Gadkari's firm Purti in an article on Monday.

He further said that the Mehta group of Nagpur had created shell companies in accordance with global practices, and that the 14 shell companies are not ownerless but have a fixed ownership pattern. However, the I-T department had earlier in its preliminary probe found the companies as fictitious.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani had claimed sources in BJP have told him that not every party leader has accepted Gurumurthy's clean chit to Gadkari in connection with his companies' dealings and he is unlikely to be given a second term as President. "I don't know how many leaders have accepted Gurumurthy's advice", he told Karan Thapar on his Devil's Advocate.

Last week, Gurumurthy, who mediated on behalf of Gadkari following allegations against him of dubious funding by his company Purthi Sugar and Power cropped up, came out in his support saying he is "legally and morally" clear. "Re Gadkari. I examined legal & moral aspect. The 14 questioned cos belong Nagpur group that invested in Purti in 2004 and told IT dept," Gurumurthy, a chartered accountant, had tweeted. "So I am convinced that Nitin has legally nothing to do with the 14 questioned cos. Morally he is clear becos Nagpur has owned them in 2003/4," he had further tweeted.

Gurumurthy had said the companies, which invested in Purti Group, belong to a Nagpur Group, which have no political connections. Gurumurthy, who has been managing the crisis and meeting with senior BJP leaders on behalf of Gadkari and RSS after noted lawyer and party MP Ram Jethmalani openly attacked Gadkari and demanded his immediate resignation as President, had said Gadkari was clean.

"I have verified that the Nagpur group has no political connection. No government contract. But they are worried about media exposure. Rightly," he had tweeted.