Terming as "baseless innuendos" the allegations of fraud by her Trust, Law Minister Salman Khurshid's wife Louise launched a scathing attack on activist Arvind Kerjriwal, accusing him of "doing politics using the shoulders of the disabled".
She also trashed speculation about her husband resigning over the issue, saying there is no reason why her husband should step down. "There is no inquiry against Khurshid either by the central government or any report by the CAG (comptroller and auditor general). So why should he step down," Louise said.
She was also critical of a television group, against which she has filed a defamation suit for a sting operation on the issue, saying more such suits will be filed including one by the law minister himself.
"They could find only three people to say that they have not received anything, whereas we have provided artificial limbs to thousands of people. And we alone did not do all this. Our Members of Legislative Assembly like Vivek Bansal, Jitin Prasada and others also organised camps for the disabled in various areas where artificial limbs were distributed. They are all disturbed now," she said.
"We have spent huge money serving the people of our constituency Farrukhabad, for which we did not take anything from the government. We will not soil our hands for an amount like Rs 70 lakh. We have done no wrong. All this is totally false," she said.
She denied any inter-ministerial rivalry behind the controversy but wondered why the ministry for social justice and empowerment did not give papers and documents to the CAG and others, when they were sought.
"The ministry should have given the accounts. We had submitted the utilisation certificates and all documents," she said, adding that the ministry for "some inexplicable reason" said they were not concerned with it, when the CAG made certain queries regarding the Trust's work.
"There already are enough innuendos. I do not want to add up to them. I will not make any allegation, but it was quite shocking that they did not give documents," Louise said.
