Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and M. Venkaiah Naidu (extreme left and right) with Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurien and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad before paying tribute to C. Rajagopalachari on his birth anniversary at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. — PTI
Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and M. Venkaiah Naidu (extreme left and right) with Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurien and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad before paying tribute to C. Rajagopalachari on his birth anniversary at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. — PTI
With the Rajya Sabha getting disrupted for the third consecutive day over the National Herald case and the government’s key bills getting stalled, the government on Thursday asked the Congress to contest the case in courts instead of disrupting Parliament. Taking a sharp dig at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley asserted that India has never accepted that the “queen” is not answerable to the law and asked the Gandhis to contest the issue in courts. He also rejected the Opposition party’s charge of political vendetta being pursued by the government, saying the government has “so far not taken any punitive action”. He also said the Opposition party’s “Goebbelsian propaganda” is that the party’s leadership is a victim of political vendetta.
Strongly objecting to Mr Gandhi’s remarks that the Herald case is “hundred per cent political vendetta coming out of PMO”, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said: “Hang us if we are guilty but don’t level false accusations.” He also accused the Congress V-P of disrespecting the country’s judicial system. “By saying that the court’s order was under pressure from the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi has disrespected the judicial system of the country... This is the court’s decision and neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor our government has said anything to the court about the order. We don’t have any connection with it. We respect the judicial system. When there are cases in court, there are orders,” said Mr Gadkari at a function organised by a media group. He asserted that the BJP has no connection to this case. Mr Gadkari also said that he was “pained” to see how comments like “Hitler” are passed on the country’s Prime Minister by the Opposition.
Asking the Congress to fight the case legally and not politically, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said by holding up Parliament, the Congress was “showing utter disregard for the judiciary as well as the legislature”.
Apparently referring to the Congress plea against summons issued to Mrs Gandhi, her son and others, which was dismissed by Delhi High Court, Mr Jaitley said the Congress leaders created a ‘Chakravyuh’ for themselves through a series of financial transactions where tax-exempt income of a political party was transfered to a real estate company.
“The Enforcement Directorate has not issued any notice to them. The Income Tax authorities will follow their own procedure... The Government has passed no order in relation to the disputed transactions,” the Finance minister posted on his Facebook page.
Detailing the issues involved with the case, he said a criminal court had taken cognisance of the offence and the High Court agreed with the trial court.
“The battle has to be fought legally. But the results of legal battles are always uncertain. The Congress is, therefore, crying foul and calling it political vendetta,” Mr Jaitley said asking if the charge was against the courts.
The minister said there was equality before the law for everyone.
“No one is above the law. India has never accepted the diktat that the queen is not answerable to the law. Why should the Congress party and its leaders not contest the notice before the Court ...The Government cannot help them in the matter, nor can the Parliament. Why then disturb the Parliament and prevent the legislative activity from continuing ,” he said.
Asking the Congress to fight the case legally and not politically, BJP’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said by holding up Parliament on the case, the opposition party was “showing utter disregard for the judiciary as well as the legislature.”
In Varanasi, the BJP leader said the Congress apparently does not have faith in the judicial process and was terming the court procedure as political vendetta.
“Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi should face the law in the Herald case instead of fighting political battles on the issue. They should fight it legally and not politically”, he said and added that everyone was equal before law, irrespective of his position and status,” Mr Hussain asserted.
