Speak in parliament if you have proof, BJP tells Rahul on allegations

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, Government on Wednesday dared him to give proof in Parliament on his allegations against the government and PMO on National Herald issue instead of wasting time of the House, after the opposition party stalled proceedings alleging political vendetta.

Soon after the Congress Vice President alleged that the National Herald case is "hundred per cent political vendetta coming out of PMO", Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said Rahul "did not have enough courage" to speak in Parliament on the issue.

"He (Rahul) is instrumental in disrupting the House. Court has taken some cognisance against him and Sonia Gandhi. They are trying to become a hero after the charges against them and at the same time they do not have enough courage to come inside the House and say what they are speaking outside to the media.

"We should ask Rahul Gandhi, if he has courage enough, if he has honesty enough, if he has standing as a leader of his political party, he should come to Parliament and give proof of the statement he has made against the judiciary.

"The proof of the statement he has made against the government and the PMO... he should come and give an explanation in the House and the proof of what he is talking," Rudy said.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari asked Congress to resolve the matter in court as Government and Parliament have nothing to do with it.

"The House or government has nothing got to do with this ('National Herald' case) either directly or indirectly. It's a court decision. Wasting Parliament's time is not good for democracy," he told reporters outside Parliament.

"I would request Congress party to resolve the matter in court and not disrupt Parliament's working which has no relation with it. Neither Parliament nor government has any right to change the court's decision," he said.

Reacting to Congress's allegation of "vendetta politics" by the government, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said the party is ina way attacking judiciary as the matter lies with the court.

"Who does not know which party has been doing the politics of vendetta for the past so many years. And if they are saying 'vendetta', that means Congress is blaming the judiciary," Rathore said.

Congress leaders, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, have been summoned by a Delhi court on December 19 on a complaint by BJP's Subramanian Swamy against them for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds in taking control of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

"Every citizen has right to accuse anyone and whether that accusation is right or wrong, is a court matter. Just because somebody is a BJP member, it does not mean he does not have the same rights," Rathore said. 

As the house met at 2.15 pm, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha moved a Bill to amend the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, for consideration and passage, amid sloganeering by Congress members.

However, B Mahtab (BJD) objected to it and suggested that instead, discussion on drought should continue. More than 50 per cent of the country is affected by drought and hence the priority should be on discussing drought, Mahtab said.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the discussion on drought was taken up as the Congress wanted it. But since Congress was not participating in the discussion, the Government will go ahead with the legislation, he said.

Accusing the treasury benches of bull-dozing the opposition, Kharge said it is not right to take up or pass the Bill when the House is not in order.

"Government is suppressing, depressing and disregarding the opposition. Such attitude is wrong. We want your (Chair) protection. The Bill should not be passed. Let them (Government) first take action against V K Singh, Rajasthan Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan," Kharge said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, however, said that Parliament cannot go on like this as the people of the country wanted legislation.

Thereafter, the discussion on the Indian Trust Amendment Bill was taken up amidst continued sloganeering by Congress members from the well of the house.