Modi says ready for probe on poll expenses

New Delhi, Apr 11:

has expressed readiness for a probe by any government agency to be completed within 30 days into charges by

leaders that he had spent Rs 10,000 crore on poll publicity and offered to write to the

himself in this regard.

The Gujarat Chief Minister termed as a "lie" Rahul Gandhi's charges that he had given farmers' land to industrial houses in the state at throwaway prices.

In an interview to India TV, the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate was asked about allegations by Congress leaders, particularly Anand Sharma, that he had spent a whopping Rs 10,000 crore on publicity during the ongoing elections, out of which 90 per cent was black money.

"Rs 10,000 crore is a big amount. The government has all the agencies. They should ask whose money is this. From where did it come and where was it spent," Modi replied.

He said the probe should be conducted within 30 days so that the truth is presented before the nation.

Modi said if there is any basis for the allegations, Sharma should write to the Election Commission so that the poll body also conducts a probe to ascertain how much BJP spend on publicity and how much of it was black money.

"If there is a hurdle of election Model Code of Conduct in ordering a probe by the government, I will myself write to the Election Commission saying that I will have no objection if the government wants to conduct a probe into the matter," he said in the interview to Rajat Sharma for 'Aap Ki Adalat' programme.

PTI