CONG CRITICISES JAITLEY FOR HIS REMARKS ON NJAC VERDICT
take over as party president in 2015, picking his team members and shaping the structure of the party under him took more time than intended. However, Ramesh said that when Rahul assumes charge, it won’t be one individual taking over but a whole team being put in place. NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday criticised finance minister Arun Jaitley for his remarks on the Supreme Court’s verdict to strike down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, saying the senior BJP leader’s “acrimonious attack is a travesty of constitutional sovereignty”.
Having supported the NDA government’s Constitution amendment bill to set up NJAC in both houses of Parliament in August 2014, the Congress has made it clear that it will not support any “adventurism” on the issue. The change in the Congress stand makes it tough for the Modi government to get Parliament’s nod for a revised version of the bill.
“From calling in question the ‘constitutional sanctity’ of Rajya Sabha (August 18, 2015), virtually directing a constitutional functionary like CAG ‘to not sensationalise its findings’ (October 29, 2014), describing protest by authors/free thinkers as ‘manufactured’ and ‘paper rebellion’ (October 14, 2015) to describing Supreme Court as ‘tyranny of the unelected’ today, Jaitley’s contemptuous bluster reflects intolerance of Modi government with autonomy of institutions,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.
“Jaitley must not forget that imperiousness of numbers often converts elected governments into unabashed autocrats with unchecked immunity from reason, justice or conscience,” he said. “Arrogance of constitutional acumen undermines its fundamental ethos, ‘Justice above tyranny’ — whether of individual or majority, even legislative majority.”
THE CONGRESS SAID THE BJP LEADER’S ‘ACRIMONIOUS ATTACK IS A TRAVESTY OF CONSTITUTIONAL SOVEREIGNTY’
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala on Sunday asserted that both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi favour a “mix of experience and youth”. He said Rahul is of the firm view that the organisation could become strong with the contribution of the young and the experienced.