Asking the opposition Congress to fight the National Herald case legally and not to disrupt parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday that Congress leaders have to find a way out of the chakravyuh (phalanx) that is their own creation.
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“I have full faith in legal system of this country and we will see in the end what comes out. Who is threatening judiciary, we all know”, said Rahul.
Congress leaders, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul have been summoned by a Delhi court on December 19 on a complaint by BJP’s Subramanian Swamy against them, for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds in taking control of the now-defunct newspaper.
Azad told reporters afterwards that two kinds of rules being followed by the Modi government, noting no action had been taken against BJP chief ministers over allegations of corruption but complaints were being filed against Congress leaders including Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Expressing “sorrow” over fresh Parliament disruptions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that democracy can not function at the “whims and fancies” of anyone, in a veiled dig at continuing protests by the Congress.
Referring to the Delhi High Court dismissing the plea of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to quash the summons issued to them in the National Herald case, he told media persons here that: “Matter driven by Prime Minister’s Office”.
Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi charged the Congress with politicising the National Herald case. Pure political vendetta coming out of PMO.
Congress also appeared to be showing signs of flexibility on its demands which include a cap on the GST rate at 18 percent, deletion of the provision which allows imposition of one percent tax by additional levy and an independent dispute resolution mechanism.
But Modi needs opposition support to pass the reform in parliament’s upper house, where his party lacks a majority. In a veiled dig at earlier Congress governments, he said had people’s participation in development been made a policy after Independence, the pace of development would have been a thousand times more. “Why then disturb the Parliament and prevent the legislative activity from continuing?”, he said.
“Sonia and Rahul Gandhi do not have a separate law for themselves under the Constitution”, he said, adding, they should not hold Parliament to ransom for the summons.
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Meanwhile, Metropolitan magistrate Loveleen on Tuesday granted an exemption to the Gandhis for a day saying they would have to appear before the court for the next hearing set for 3pm on December 19.
