"So far, Rs 3,100 crore has been given from the PM-CARES fund to fight coronavirus. Of this, Rs 2,000 crore has been given for ventilators," senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference at the party headquarters here.
Earlier in the day, Supreme Court passed a judgement over the issue and said that the funds from the PM-CARES Fund need not be transferred to the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) and individuals can voluntarily contribute to the NDRF.
A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah dismissed a petition seeking transfer of all funds from PM CARES Fund to NDRF. The top court also held that there was no need for a fresh national disaster relief plan for Covid-19 pandemic, and minimum standards of relief issued under Disaster Management Act were sufficient.
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Later making a comparison with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation issue, Prasad said: "In a report prepared by the Foundation, it was said that to improve the India-China relations, it is necessary to open up India's markets to that country", pointing to the alleged quid pro quo in the matter.
Prasad said that another Rs 1,000 crore from PM-CARES (Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) fund was given to the states for migrant labourers, claiming that Rs 100 crore went for corona vaccine research.
"The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation is a family foundation. You know that it got help from China too. In the report of that foundation, there was talk of opening India's markets for Chinese products."
Rubbishing Rahul Gandhi's charge of "improbity", Prasad said: "The Modi government has been working with honesty; it has the blessings of the public. The same honesty is also reflected in the PM-CARES fund."
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Even BJP national president JP Nadda released documents claiming it to be a proof that during the Manmohan Singh era, money from the Prime Minister's relief fund was diverted and donated to the Rajiv Gandhi foundation.
Sonia Gandhi is chief of the foundation and the board includes Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh.
Nadda also hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his attack on the PM-CARES fund saying it was a "nefarious design". The Centre for Public Interest Litigation, an NGO, had petitioned the apex court for transferring money from the PM-CARES fund to the NDRF, which the SC declined.
BJP President JP Nadda described the decision as a "resounding blow to the nefarious designs" of Gandhi and his "band of rent a cause" activists.
Reacting to the judgement of top court, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "The SC judgment is a body blow to transparency & accountability of Govt to people. It marks a sad letter day for responsibility & answerability of rulers to the electorate and remind them that they are not 'Monarchs' but 'servants of the people'."