Jayanthi quits Cong, drops letter bomb

Natarajan said she was “totally sidelined by the national high command” and her repeated attempts to meet with Rahul and party president Sonia Gandhi were unsuccessful.

“Over the last 11 months, I have suffered the most excruciating mental agony, and have been continuously attacked, wrongly vilified and defamed in the media, and exposed to every possible humiliation in public life,” the four-time member of Parliament said in a letter to the Congress chief last year, copies of which were distributed at the press conference.

The former UPA minister said she was forced to resign in December 2013 following pressure from the Gandhis. She also came under attack during the campaign for last year’s general elections when the Opposition and then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi accused her of charging a “Jayanthi tax” for environmental clearances.

With the Congress on the mat, finance minister Arun Jaitley led the BJP’s charge to pin the party down, saying the previous UPA government was promoting “sadistic economics” and “crony capitalism”.

“Among main reasons for slow growth during the UPA government’s term were delays in granting permission to projects. They used to get satisfaction by giving people trouble. This was sadistic economics,” he said at a press conference in Delhi. “In a scenario where whims overtake legal requirements, it becomes a textbook case of crony capitalism, which the UPA was practising.”

Jaitley’s cabinet colleague, environment minister the first American president to be the chief guest at the Prakash Javadekar, said he would review the files where allegations of extraneous influence have been mentioned.

“The revelations made by Jayanthi Natarajan in her letter to Sonia Gandhi, which have become public today, are a matter of great concern and is a serious issue,” he said. “I will definitely review those files and see the facts for myself.”

Dismissing the charges as baseless, Congress leaders rallied behind Rahul Gandhi and said Natarajan was removed from office following allegations of corruption.

“There may not be evidence to take legal action, but a minister may be removed on the basis of allegations — this is a fact,” said party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi. “Jayanthi is acting at the behest of her new political masters who may have got evidence against her.”

Questioning her delayed resignation from the Congress and the allegations, party leader Anand Sharma dared Natarajan to file a defamation case against Prime Minister Modi, saying it was he who used to target her with the “Jayanthi tax” barb.

“If Jayanthi is offended that her reputation has been sullied, she should not complain about Sonia (Gandhi) and Rahul. They have not done it,” he said.

“She should file a defamation case against Modi, who repeatedly used the Jayanthi tax barb during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.”

Following the Congress attacks, Natarajan said she did not wish to react to such falsehoods being spread against her.

(WITH AGENCY INPUTS)

THE CCTVS HAD COME UP IN THE AREA AROUND ITC MAURYA, WHERE OBAMA, HIS WIFE MICHELLE AND THE AMERICAN DELEGATION STAYED DURING HIS R-DAY TRIP