Asked Natarajan to protect environment, adivasis: Rahul

Breaking his silence over Jayanthi Natarajan's allegations against him over green clearances, Rahul Gandhi today said his communication with her was driven by his interest for the welfare of the poor and the adivasis.

"I want to tell you that I have fought for the poor and the adivasis and I had told Jayanthi Natarajan that we should look into the welfare of the environment, poor and the adivasis. I will continue to fight for the poor, the hutsmen and the weaker sections," the Congress vice-president said at a rally here.

He alleged that Natrajan, who quit the Congress recently, has been put up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to target the Congress party.

Rahul said that he joined politics to ensure welfare for the poor and the weaker sections of the society and not to benefit some businessmen as he attacked Modi, alleging that the PM was working only to benefit his "industrial friends".

Natarajan had last Saturday resigned from the primary membership of Congress alleging that she was "vilified" for rejecting green nod to industrial projects during her tenure as Environment Minister, which she said she had done following communications by the Congress vice-president.

She had also written a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi a few months back alleging that she had received specific requests from Rahul on environmental clearances and consequently rejected big ticket projects, a contention she reaffirmed at the time of announcing her resignation.

latching on to her remarks, BJP had launched a scathing attack on the Congress leadership accusing Rahul of interfering in the government work.