Congress national general secretary and former Union minister Tarik Anwar has demanded a joint parliamentary probe (JPC) in connection with the Amazon bribery charge which surfaced recently prompting the central government to launch an investigation.

Last month, a whistleblower blew the lid off the murky deals allegedly by the legal representatives of the global e-commerce company. The company, accused of paying bribes to Indian officials, announced an independent internal probe claiming that it has zero tolerance for corruption.

Lashing out at the Narendra Modi government on Sunday during his visit to Ranchi, Anwar said, “Na khaunga, na khane dunga coined by our PM after he came to power in 2014 has now today become a popular jumla (joke) in the country going by the increasing trend of corruption in this government. Even when the Rafale deal scam broke, Congress has been asking for a JPC probe and we demand the same now in the Amazon bribery scandal. If the Union government has nothing to hide, it must agree to it.”

Anwar said the Amazon bribery scandal is in the tune of over Rs 8,000 crore and accused the Modi government of being hand in gloves. “The Modi government’s mantra of governance is first destroy the existing businesses in the country and then sell/lease out to his friends,” he said, referring to the recent national monetization pipeline under which Union government has decided to open gates for private players in PSUs, banks and railways among others.

“All the assets of the country built in last 75 years has now been put up for sale by Narendra Modi government, which has failed to create jobs,” he said.

Amazon has clarified to the government on its reported legal fee, saying the expense includes professional fee as well, according to sources. The clarification came after reports that Amazon spent about Rs 8,546 crore or USD 1.

Alleging the BJP-led government of being hand in gloves with drug peddlers, he said the recent drug haul from the Adani-run port in Gujarat is a testimony to it. “If that is the Gujarat model of development, the country should stand against it. By denying jobs to the youths of this country, the Modi government is pushing them to drugs,” he said.