Sonia ‘ hints’ led to Cong aggression
It was a subtle hint from Congress president Sonia Gandhi that led to the Congress on Monday intensifying its attack on finance minister Arun Jaitley over the alleged financial irregularities in Delhi’s cricket body.
Party sources said that a meeting of Congress MPs to decide the strategy for the day’s proceedings saw Mrs Gandhi herself asking the members what should be done on the Jaitley issue, suggesting some seniors have a different view.
Mrs Gandhi’s queries led to several members immediately raising their hand, pitching for taking up the issue of the resignation of the finance minister from the start of the day in Question Hour and intensifying it in Zero Hour.
Some argued that the Congress had raised the issue first and should not allow the AAP to get credit by going on the offensive. If party insiders are to be believed, there are some leaders in the Congress parliamentary party who are not keen to make Mr Jaitley the target of the party’s attack. But there are others who view that the Congress should not spare the BJP leaders being the main Opposition, besides the ruling party has been harsh in attacking the Congress chief and party vice- president Rahul Gandhi.
The AICC briefing saw party spokesman P. L. Punia reflecting the party’s aggressive stand on the issue.
Besides the resignation of the finance minister and the setting up of a joint parliamentary committee probe, he also wanted a high court/ Supreme Courtmonitored CBI SIT probe into the financial irregularities, hours after BJP member Kirti Azad pitched for such a probe.
“Once such a demand is coming from within BJP itself... How can Arun Jaitley continue as finance minister even for a minute thereafter?” he wondered.
Mr Punia said Mr Azad has posed as many as 52 questions to Mr Jaitley, who has failed to answer even one. He said if Mr Jaitley does not step down, the Prime Minister should sack him as the charges against the finance minister are not only coming from the Opposition, but from a senior BJP MP too.