Opposition parties, led by the Congress, upped the ante against the NDA Government on Wednesday by disrupting proceedings in Parliament for the second consecutive day over the National Herald case, while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi went ballistic and accused the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of “100 per cent pure
political vendetta.” The Government hit back saying Parliament was being used to threaten the judiciary.
As the Trinamool Congress (TMC) backed the Congress and alleged political vendetta by the Modi Government, the Congress decided that both the accused in the National Herald case, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, will not appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s order seeking their personal appearance in a trial court in the matter. This decision was taken in a meeting at Sonia’s residence in the
presence of top party leaders on Wednesday.
A belligerent Rahul told the media outside Parliament that the National Herald case was “100 per cent political
vendetta. It is pure political vendetta coming out of the PMO. It is their way of doing politics. I have full faith in the judiciary. We will see at the
end what comes out. The truth will come out.”
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu shot back that the Congress was using Parliament to threaten the judiciary by causing disruptions and alleged that the party was practising “mobocracy which was posing a danger to democracy” by making Parliament “dysfunctional”.
Naidu also rejected Rahul’s contention that the case was “one hundred per cent vendetta coming out of the PMO” and wondered if he was attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because the case was filed when the UPA was in power. Naidu also clarified that Subramanian Swamy, who is the complainant in the case, was not in the BJP when he lodged it.
“The Congress is thinking that it is hurting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But it is wrong because it is hurting India.
How is Parliament involved if some people (Gandhis) have been summoned by a courtIJ Is this the job of the ParliamentIJ You want to silence the judiciary. You want to intimidate the judiciary. You are telling the judiciary how dare you summon us,” said Naidu.
lashing out at Rahul, Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy while talking to the media outside Parliament dared him to give proof in Parliament on his allegations against the Government and PMO on the National Herald issue instead of wasting time of the House.
Soon after Rahul’s accusations against the PMO, Rudy said Rahul “did not have enough courage” to speak in Parliament on the issue.
“He (Rahul) is instrumental in disrupting the House. Court has taken some cognisance against him and Sonia Gandhi. They are trying to become heroes after the charges against them and at the same time they do not have enough courage to come inside the House and say what they are saying outside to the media.
“We should ask Rahul, if he has courage enough, if he has honesty enough, if he has standing as a leader of his political party, he should come to Parliament and give proof of the statement he has made against the judiciary. The proof of the statement he has made against the Government and the PMO... He should come and give an explanation in the House and the proof of what he is talking,” Rudy said.
Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that a Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), who had “rightly” decided to close the National Herald case, was transferred and a new chief appointed to “reopen” the case.
Azad said a notice had been sent by ED to the trustees of the “non-profit making” body. The ED, however, later saw “reason” and its Director decided to close the matter in August this year, he said. But soon after, the Government replaced the ED Director, Azad said and alleged that the case was then again opened on the directions of the Government and Subramanian Swamy.
The lok Sabha, however, saw one adjournment and a short discussion on the issue with the Congress and the Treasury Benches trading charges.
Citing corruption cases against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Azad and leader of House in lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Government over its “vendetta politics”, claiming that it applied one set of laws against its leaders and another for those from the BJP.
“There are two laws in this country, one for the Opposition and another for the Government. When we raised the issue of corruption involving Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Chief Ministers, no action was taken. But you raided the premises of our Gujarat leader Shankersinh Vaghela. When a wedding was taking place in the house of Virbhadra Singh, the CBI raided his house. Nothing came out of this and then the ED lodged a case against him. False CBI cases are being registered in Haryana but no action is taken against BJP Chief Ministers involved in scams,” said Azad.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi rejected the allegations, saying the National Herald issue is a legal matter and the Congress “should fight it out in court” instead of raking it up in Parliament.
While TMC member Saugata Roy led the protest in the lower House, his party colleague Derek O’Brien expressed concerns over political vendetta of the Modi Government against non-BJP State Governments across India.