Rahul disrespected nation's judicial system: Gadkari

Accusing Rahul Gandhi of disrespecting the country's judicial system, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today asked Congress to adopt democratic means to oppose the government instead of levelling "false" allegations.
"Hang us if we are guilty" but don't level false accusations, the former BJP chief said, coming down heavily on the Congress Vice President for his statement on National Herald case yesterday that it is "hundred per cent political vendetta coming out of PMO".
"By saying that the court's order was under pressure from the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi has disrespected the judicial system of the country," Gadkari said addressing the Jagran Forum of Dainik Jagran here.

He said, "This is court's decision and neither Prime Minister's office nor our government has said anything to court about the order. We don't have any connection with it. We respect the judicial system. When there are cases in court, there are orders."
Congress is liable to answer as to how property taken from government and bringing it to a company and then becoming owners was justifiable, he said, adding they are free to knock the door of higher courts if they feel injustice has been meted out to them.
"Rs 90 crore was in Congress party's fund. This fund came in donation. There is no tax on it. They gave the fund to the Trust. Trust fund was given to company. The space of National Herald which was to run a newspaper was given on rent. Plots were acquired in the whole country. Property worth Rs 2,000 crore was owned by giving the party's fund of Rs 90 crore.

"Thirty-six per cent share in it is of Rahul Gandhi and 36 per cent of Sonia Gandhi... The property taken from government and bringing it to a company and then becoming its owner... Congress should reply to it," Gadkari said.

Asserting that BJP has no connection to this case, Gadkari said it is ridiculous that the Congress was falsely accusing it.
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Gadkari said if a writer is killed in Congress-governed Karnataka, BJP is blamed and when the Dadri incident happened in Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh then again BJP was blamed, and added what is this "drama (which is) going on".

"You made an agenda that BJP is based on castelines... We are intolerant and they (Congress) are tolerant and tear all bills in our name. What is this drama... Hang us if we are guilty," Gadkari said.
At the same time he said he was "pained" to see how comments like "Hitler" are passed on the country's Prime Minister by the opposition who remain shouting all kinds of slogans near PM in Parliament like running "political hukumshahi".
He also said that Left parties had stomach-ache ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister and Congress and Left are not able to digest it despite having clear-cut mandate by the people of the nation.

Asking the people to explain the link between the court's decision and the government, Gadkari said when the National Herald case was running and the judge was changed, legal expert Kapil Sibal had demanded before the Chief Justice of India that the same judge should continue.
"Then Chief Justice sent the same judge. They brought him and he passed the order. The judge was of their choice and he gave the judgement. What is our link," he questioned.
Gadkari said Subramanian Swamy has been chasing the case since 2012 when he was not in the BJP.
"He has lodged a complaint in the police station but FIR was not registered so he knocked the door of the court. This is court's decision," he said.

Relentless protests by Congress members over its "vendetta politics" charge against the government in the National Herald case virtually stalled Rajya Sabha proceedings for the third day today.