Shiv Sena slams BJP over RGF donations charge, asks 'Will it stop Chinese incursions'

New Delhi: The Shiv Sena on Saturday (June 27) hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its charge that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) had accepted donations from the Chinese embassy, and asked it whether the issue had any connection with intrusion by the neighbouring country in Ladakh and the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers.

The Sena also alleged that those raising questions against the government over the standoff with China were being labelled as Chinese agents by the BJP. "What do you mean by Congress gets money from China? Instead of responding to the issues raised by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the Chinese incursions, the BJP leaders accused the Congress of receiving funds from China," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Will BJP's revelations about the donations stop the Chinese activities along the border? The BJP should tell what connection does these donations have with the Chinese incursion and the martyrdom of 20 soldiers," it added.

"In our country, many political leaders and parties, and not just the Congress, are beneficiaries of foreign countries. The BJP speaking about this is like throwing stones in the mud," it said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said that Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India twice in the last six years.

"He was hosted in Gujarat. But it is a fact that China has betrayed. Holding talks on the one hand and continuing with the offensive along the border on the other hand is China's old policy," it said.

In the present scenario, the entire country stands firmly with PM Modi. This crisis is not for the BJP or the Congress, but for the entire country, whose prestige is at stake, it said.

"The BJP can fight with the Congress any time later. But now is the time to fight against China. It should speak on that," the Sena said.

BJP President JP Nadda had on June 26 accused the Congress of receiving huge donations from the Chinese Embassy in 2005-06 and alleged that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was misused during the UPA rule. Citing a list of donors of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the BJP asked the Congress the need for taking the donation from a foreign country. 

Alleging a 'secret' relation between Congress and China, the BJP chief said the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received Rs 90 lakh from China and its embassy in 2005-06. "PMNRF, meant to help people in distress, was donating money to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in UPA years. Who sat on the PMNRF board? Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Who chairs RGF? Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Totally reprehensible, disregarding ethics, processes and not bothering about transparency," he tweeted on Friday. 

"One family’s hunger for wealth has cost the nation immensely. If only they have devoted their energies towards more constructive agenda. The Congress’ Imperial Dynasty needs to apologise to the unchecked loot for self-gains!" Nadda said in a series of tweets. 

The charges were however dismissed by the opposition party as an attempt to divert the attention of the country from issues of national security.