Rahul’s apology sought for ‘Shirdi’ dig at Goyal

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Congress President Rahul Gandhi has slammed Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over a “haircut loan waiver of 65 per cent” to a company, Shirdi Industries Limited, associated with the minister in the past, and said “there is no limit of “Shirdi’s miracles”.

However, Chairman of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Suresh Haware, took umbrage at his remarks and said “to drag Shirdi in a political blame game is very painful” and demanded his apology. “Friends – there is no limit of ‘Shirdi’s miracles’. #PiyushGhotalaReturns,” tweeted Gandhi attaching a news report.

The Congress on Tuesday said Goyal must be sacked and a judicial probe ordered by a Supreme Court judge into charges that a company owned by his wife earned a profit of Rs 30 crore on a paid-up capital of Rs 1 lakh in 10 years.

Reacting to Gandhi’s tweet, Haware said: “Rahulji, to drag Shirdi in a political blame game is very painful. The Sai bhakts in the country and abroad have been deeply hurt by this. On behalf of all Sai bhakts, we condemn this. You should apologise to Sai Bhakts for this insult.”

Reacting to this Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala clarified: “Rahul Gandhi holds the ‘Shirdi Trust’ and ‘Sai Baba’ as also every saint in great reverence.

“Unfortunately, the name of the company affiliated to Piyush Goel is ‘Shirdi Industries Ltd.’ I wish Shirdi Trust will now in hindsight take action and ban such people from using the name ‘Shirdi’ who use such pious name and then consequently malign by swindling away public money,” he added.