Jayanthi quits Cong, says she was only doing Rahul’s bidding

UGLY BREAK Cong says BJP behind it, may have evidence against ex-minister

CHENNAI: Former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan quit the Congress on Friday with a scathing attack on party vicepresident Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of forcing her to stall bigticket projects by the Vedanta and Adani groups while making her a scapegoat for the UPA government’s economic woes.

Ending her three-decadelong association with the party, Natarajan said she was ready to face investigation into environmental clearances by her when she was a minister in the UPA government and had no plans to join any other political party after “such bitter experiences”.

“I received several requests and memorandums from the Congress vice-president. I was asked by his office to protect and preserve the environment. I was asked by the Congress vicepresident’s office to ensure the environment was protected and these large projects don’t cause havoc to environment,” she told a news conference in Chennai.

Natarajan said she had come under pressure from Rahul while in office to hold back approval for mega projects and was then stunned to hear him publicly blame her for the delays in a speech to industrialists.

On this list were Vedanta Resources’ plans to mine bauxite in Odisha from land held sacred by tribespeople and some Adani Group ventures, Natarajan said.

The controversy adds to the Congress’ woes following a string of electoral defeats and growing internal dissent since last year.

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