Cong: Jayanthi is under pressure from her current political masters

The Congress has termed former Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan’s allegations against the party high command an effort to save her face.

Citing ‘Jayanthi tax,’ a term coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha elections campaign, the party said she is trying to save her own image by making allegations about Congress leaders.

Hinting that the BJP leadership is behind her, the party said the four-time MP is acting under pressure from her present ‘political masters’.

Apparently embarrassed over the allegations on the high command by an old loyalist, the party said all her assertions are factually wrong.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Natarajan fears that the present government may come up with some evidences against her soon. “This letter and press conference could be because of the pressure tactic of her political masters who may have some documents on the ‘Jayanthi tax’ that they had coined earlier,” Singhvi added.

Questioning the timing of the revelations, Singhvi said she was silent against the party leadership all the years when she was in Parliament and in government. “If Natarajan had a problem, she should have given up her position then,” he said, adding that the intention now is to help the BJP in the Delhi Assembly campaign.

The Congress spokesman further said it is regrettable that someone who got four terms in Parliament without fighting any elections is making such factually untrue allegations.

“Her comments about the Congress vice-president (Rahul Gandhi) are also motivated. The Congress’ practice for tribals and environment is well known. We deprecate and condemn any pressure tactics. If Natarajan acted as per Congress policy, which is pro-poor, why is she using such words against Rahul Gandhi?” he asked.

Perhaps, he said, Natarajan wants to follow the pro-rich, pro-corporate policy of the BJP regime. “The parties and corporates at whose instance Natarajan wrote the letter coined the term ‘Jayanti tax’,” Singhvi reminded Natarajan.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and former environment ministers Veerappa Moily and Jairam Ramesh also came in defence of the party high command.

They argued that both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi never tried to ‘micro manage’ government affairs.

Either of the Gandhis could have become Prime Minister if they had wished so, the Congress leaders pointed out.

Another Congress leader, familiar with the party’s functioning in Tamil Nadu, said Natarajan is holding parleys with the BJP leadership for a possible entry. He, however, added that the BJP is making her sing its tune ahead of Assembly elections in the Capital.