Congress members insisted on a clarification from the government on a statement by the Prime Minister linking the “Italian connection” in the chopper deal to party chief Sonia Gandhi.
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Deputy Speaker of Rajya Sabha, P J Kurien denied the demand of Congress, saying, “The Chair of this House could issue an instruction only on matters which are related to this House”.
Congress leader Anand Sharma said the statements made by the Prime Minister in the House or outside are as Prime Minister of the country and there can not be any distinction between them.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is also the Leader of House, meanwhile, said comments made by one politician against another can not be a breach of privilege.
Addressing the rally, Sonia Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minster Narendra Modi and said the BJP government’s days were numbered. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply, Azad said.
“The Prime Minister has contradicted his Defence Minister”, h said. The BJP says the documents furnish new evidence that the Congress executed a corrupt deal, then tried to prevent an effective inquiry.
“With a great deal of regret, let me point out that they never attempted anything that brought disrepute to the office of the prime minister like you have done”, he said, and asked him to withdraw his comments.
We will continue the fight to protect the interests of farmers, adivasis and all sections of the society, ” she told the election rally here in support of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) candidates for the May 16 Assembly elections. He also said that Narendra Modi has always been on the Congress side and especially gives them a favour when it comes to the Gandhi’s. “Whatever he wants to say, he should say in the house”, Kharge said. “But it has been two years but nobody has been jailed…the probe has not moved an inch”, he said.He also said he ask why Congress president Sonia Gandhi has not been interrogated in the scam yet.
The AgustaWestland issue appeared to be weighing heavily on her mind as Sonia targeted the Modi dispensation accusing it of starting “this game of leveling baseless allegations against leaders of opposition parties”.
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Despite the chopper scam being at the centre of all points of confrontation between the Congress and the BJP, it did not find a single mention in the “Save Democracy March”. “Is it not a shame for the prime minister to pronounce that a state like Somalia exists in the country?” asked Chandy.
