Can we discuss dhaniya, Amitbhai?

With a lower court in Ahmedabad restraining The Wire from discussing the business deals of Jay Amitbhai Shah, son of the BJP president, the media seem to have been left to discuss the many magical properties of the coriander that Shah Jr traded in.

While it is not known yet whether he imported the magic leaves or exported them (India both imports and exports coriander), the Spice Board of India’s website suggests that coriander worth ₹420 Crore were exported in the year 2015-16, the year Temple Enterprise Pvt Ltd. reached dizzying heights by earning foreign exchange worth ₹51 Crore.

And if he had indeed made the money by exporting the humble ‘dhaniya’, given free in Delhi by vegetable vendors, he would have accounted for 12-15% of the export that year. Not bad at all for a firm which had never traded in coriander since its inception in 2004 and which had earned zero foreign exchange till 2015-16.

Gujarat of course has been emerging as a hub for spices. And the Spices Board chairman Dr A Jayathilak recently disclosed that spice exporters from Gujarat had registered an increase of around 27% in volume and 30% in value over the previous year in 2016-17. Unfortunately Jay Amit Shah had shut down his company after allegedly incurring losses worth ₹1.48 Crore in 2015-16, perhaps the only dhaniya exporter from Gujarat to have incurred a loss.

The humble coriander is said to have curative properties with plenty of vitamin K. Besides helping in digestion, it is believed to cure cancer, controlling high blood pressure, diabetes, cold and even conjunctivitis.

While The Wire is planning to challenge the restraining order, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued silence on the curious case of Temple Enterprise. On Friday the Congress Vice President’s office tweeted :

Gandhi apparently punned on Modi's famous lines “na khaoonga, na khane doonga (Will not indulge in corruption nor allow others to indulge in it).”

The Congress leader attached a news report on The Wire being barred from writing on Jay Shah to protect his 'right to live with dignity' along with his tweet.

The BJP has often described Gandhi as yuvraj for his belonging to the first family of the Congress and being considered heir apparent to the post of party chief. Gandhi has been hitting back since the controversy erupted over Jay Shah's business, referring to him as Shah-Zada.

Gandhi had last week also taunted the BJP, alleging “state legal help” in Jay Shah's legal battle with the news portal. The Congress leader has been relentlessly attacking the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah over a news report that alleged Jay Shah’s company's turnover increased 16,000 times in a year after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014.

The Congress has sought an inquiry into the issue by sitting Supreme Court judges.The BJP has rubbished the allegation saying Jay Shah's business was perfectly legitimate and legal. The party has also rejected Congress allegations of crony capitalism.

With inputs from IANS