Government has no role in case, it’s a judicial process: BJP

Attacking the Congress for disrupting Parliament proceedings over the National Herald case, the government on Tuesday questioned whether the Opposition party was seeking a parliamentary remedy for something that happened during the course of a judicial process or it wants government to intervene in the case. The BJP asserted the government has no role whatsoever remotely in the entire process.

“They should contest it in court. How can you hold the government responsible It is totally unfair and irresponsible to fix it on the government as they could not face the truth. They are now trying to blame the government,” parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said.

Rejecting the vendetta charge, the Union minister mounted a counter-attack on the Congress, saying its stand amounts to an “onslaught” on the judiciary’s independence and wondered whether the protest was to block the passage of the GST bill.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said: “There’s no political vendetta. A private complaint was lodged. The government had nothing to do with it. The high court has dismissed their case and asked them to go and face trial. Nobody in this country has immunity from law. They can challenge the orders in a higher court or face proceedings.”

Taking a jibe at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her “I am daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi” remark, communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was immaterial for a court “who is someone’s daughter-in-law or son-in-law”.