Beni backs Khurshid: Rs 71 lakh ‘small amount for minister’

Eager to defend Cabinet colleague Salman Khurshid on the issue of alleged misappropriation of funds by his trust, Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma Monday said the Law Minister will not do any wrong for Rs 71 lakh — a "very small amount" for a Union minister.

"Salman Khurshid is a responsible person. He is a Central Minister. When he is saying there is no scam, he should be believed...I don't think a person like Khurshid will do anything for an amount like Rs 71 lakh. It is a very small amount for a Central minister," he said on Monday. Stating that Khurshid should not resign, he said, "had it been Rs 71 crore, I would have been serious".

Verma's argument came in for criticism from the BJP. "Verma is another Digvijaya Singh. He is not focussing on his ministry and giving such statements," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said on Monday.

Verma also slammed Arvind Kejriwal. "Kejriwal is going to launch a party. I wish him all the best...But I have a piece of advice for him: Don't bark day in day out, try to sometimes roar like a tiger. Those who always bark are of no value," Verma said.

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