Stung by former Union Environment Minister Natarajan’s allegations against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of influencing the decision-making of her Ministry, the Congress on Friday endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Jayanthi tax” charge against her and said she was removed because of corruption charges. The party also accused her of playing into the hands of her new “political masters”, saying they may have got evidence against her.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said questions were often raised by industrialists about her functioning as a Minister and cited an example of a CII roundtable meet in Mumbai in August, 2013. “In Mumbai, they (industrialists) did complain to me about her bitterly... They said in the presence of senior secretaries of the Government of India that files were cleared from Chennai. Specific complaints were made in their presence.
Why should a Cabinet Minister take files homeIJ I did not take files pertaining to my Ministry to Shimla. They (industrialists) complained that they were asked to take the files to a particular officer on special duty (OSD) there... They told me that I should understand the reason when asked to go to a specific OSD,” Sharma alleged.
Sharma claimed that hundreds of files had to be collected from Chennai after Natarajan had resigned, while adding that if need be, the industrialists who had attended the Mumbai meet may be asked to say publicly what they had claimed during the CII event.
“That is what they (industrialists) complained about. There was a perception... That question has to be answered by Natarajan or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who frequently attacked her with the “Jayanthi tax” barb,” he said.
He even dared her to file a defamation case against Modi for using the term “Jayanthi tax” during the 2014 lok Sabha election campaigns. Interestingly, the Congress had defended Natarajan then saying she was being targeted for speaking out over Snoopgate and destruction of environment under Modi-headed Gujarat.
Sharma rejected Natarajan’s charge that Rahul sent frequent communications to her regarding NGOs’ objections to certain projects. “There was never any interference from Gandhi’s office. He had only intervened to get facilities for poor weavers. If she is referring to the forwarding of some representations by NGOs, what is wrong in thatIJ Are NGOs criminalsIJ What is wrong if a public representative forwards the concerns expressed by people. She is maliciously presenting as a direction what is merely the forwarding of petitions by NGOs. There is a motive. Otherwise, why has she been silent all this timeIJ” Sharma said.
He even accused Natarajan of Rspolitical dishonesty’ for her statement that as a Minister in the UPA-II Government she did not want to attack Modi on the ‘Snoopgate’ issue but was told by the party high command to do so, as a “desperate damage-control” exercise.
Sharma questioned Natarajan’s delayed resignation from Congress and the claims that Gandhi’s office was engaged in a vilification campaign against her after she had stepped down as a Union Minister in 2013.
On Natarajan’s complaint about not getting an audience with Sonia or Rahul to present her side, Sharma said there were reasons for that and reminded her that it was the same leadership which had made her a Minister.
Natarajan’s former Cabinet colleagues too attacked her. Jairam Ramesh, who was Natarajan’s immediate predecessor in the Ministry, said her allegations against Gandhi were “not just completely unfair but also preposterously baseless.”
“As Natarajan’s immediate predecessor for slightly over 25 months, I can say with all honesty that at no point of time did Rahul Gandhi ever tell me, directly or indirectly, what to do or what not to do in the discharge of my ministerial responsibilities,” Ramesh said in a statement.
Addressing a Press conference Abhisek Singhvi said: “Release of the letter and the timing of the Press conference (by Natarajan earlier in the day) has been decided by the same masters to create artificial masala for Delhi elections.”
Echoing a similar view Veerappa Moily said: “”Maybe she is part of the grand design to malign the party and its leadership. I have handled the Ministry many times and have not come across any instance where the Congress president or vice-president interfered in the administration.”
Congress spokesman PC Chacko wondered why she did not raise the issue in the party for the past one year in spite of several opportunities. “Congress never stops anyone from resigning. So, Jayanthi can also go the Krishna Tirath way.”
Congress’ former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who had also served as Minister of State in the PMO of Dr Manmohan Singh argued there was “neither pressure nor interference” from the party leadership. “We get so many letters and delegations from interested persons, but as a Minister, one is expected to go by the rule book and not favour anyone. If she has done any illegal things, it should be probed,” Chavan said.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy accused Natarajan of not being “reachable” even to her party MPs to discuss issues related to implementation of Kasturirangan and Madhav Gadgil reports on Western Ghats.