Under attack over the media blitz, Narendra Modi has said he is ready to face any probe by any government agency into Congress allegations that a whopping Rs 10,000 crore was being spent on poll publicity and offered to write to the Election Commission himself in this regard.
He said the UPA government has 30-40 days still left and it should use "all the force" to conduct the probe and complete it at the earliest.
The Gujarat Chief Minister rubbished Rahul Gandhi's charges that he had given farmers' land to industrial houses at throwaway prices and responded to his 'balloon' jibe by asserting that people of the state would not have elected him again and again if his contention about development was a lie.
In an interview to Rajat Sharma for 'Aap Ki Adalat' programme on 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 still 30-40 days left. They should use all their force and order a probe by any agency. They should check whose money is this. From where did it come and where it was spent," Modi replied, adding he would be happy when 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.
On Rahul Gandhi's allegations that he had given farmers' land to big industrial houses at throwaway prices, Modi said it was a "lie" and motivated by political considerations.
He referred to Tata's Nano project and said not even an inch of land was given for free.