National Herald case: Congress caught in its own chakravyuh, says Jaitley

He alleges that, through a series of debt and equity deals, a shell company that Sonia and Rahul controlled acquired property worth about $300 million after paying just $75,000. At Sharad Pawar’s 75th birthday felicitation.

Reacting to the stalled proceedings within the Parliament over the National Herald case, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Saturday warned Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi to respect the regulation and the structure or else she can be “rejected” by the nation the identical method Indira Gandhi was after she had imposed Emergency in India. They have to exercise their power inherent in the Rules and Procedures of the Parliamentary Practices and take exemplary actions against the members who deliberately create disturbances in the functioning of the Parliament by ignoring or disobeying the Chair.

Jaitley also stressed that the transfer of Enforcement Directorate chief Rajan S Katoch was not related to the case. “When a rhino is killed, they protest a lot, but when a man in Assam dies, they remain silent”, Gogoi said and added that this indifference of the present Central Government would receive a befitting reply in the ensuing Assembly elections.

“Government has walked an extra mile to explain GST to Congress. But their agenda is to paralyse the country”, Jaitley said at a discussion at Agenda Aaj Tak 2015.

Congress national spokesman Sanjay Jha said the political wrangling had “neutralised” Modi’s meeting with Sonia Gandhi on November 27, their first since he became prime minister in May 2014, to seek a way forward on the GST. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is meeting Congress’ leader and deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, on Monday morning.

“What is the reason for obstructionism today”. That some private complaint is filed, a magistrate issues notice, you move the High Court and High Court grants you a stay. Or, is the reaction about the Delhi high court ” s refusal to exempt the Congress president and vice president from appearing before a trial court? “The government has not interfered in it”, he said.

Asked about his statements as opposition leader and Gujarat’s opposition to GST, he said he had never ever opposed the goods and services tax regime that will replace all indirect taxes to create a unified market. Jaitley said he would not like to comment on the matter any further because it was under investigation.

Asked about the Congress charge that ED Director Rajan S Katoch had been transfered out because he had given it a clean chit in the case, the minister said Katoch was holding additional charge of ED besides being Heavy Industries Secretary.

Political parties, he said, are entitled to collect funds for its political activities for which they get exemption from payment of income tax.