'Huge jump' in Rahul Gandhi's income, says BJP, asks where it's coming from

The BJP said Sunday that there had been a "huge jump" in Congress President Rahul Gandhi's income and asked where the money was coming from. 

The BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a press conference on Sunday that Rahul's income, according to his election affidavits, had risen from over Rs 55 lakh in 2004 to Rs 9 crore in 2014. 

"How can an MP, who is not a professional, witness such a jump in his income?" Patra asked. 

Patra also challenged Gandhi to file a defamation case against him, saying he was stating facts with evidence. 

Patra went on to allege that Rahul's income "by and large, is profiteering from scams, dubious deals". He also alleged that Rahul had lied on his election affidavits. He did not however provide any evidence or document to substantiate his claim.

Patra said Sunday that the BJP will hold a series of press conferences in the coming days to expose the "corruption of Rahul Gandhi".

The Congress has rubbished the charges, calling them a "desperate attempt by BJP" to "divert attention" from the real issues.  

On Saturday, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said, "In his (Rahul Gandhi) election affidavit in 2004, his income was Rs 55,38,123 while in 2009, it rose to Rs 2 crore and in 2014 it rose to Rs 9 crore. 

"We know how much an MP earns. We want to ask what is this Rahul Gandhi model of development without an ostensible source of income?" he had added. 

(With inputs from PTI)