"If Shri Gandhi feels so strongly on the Adarsh issue, the guilty must be prosecuted and certainly not be the country's Home Minister. This anger is not natural, it is contrived. This is a case of a manufactured dissent," Jaitley said, referring to Sushilkumar Shinde who has been faulted for his decisions as Maharashtra Chief Minister by the inquiry into the Adarsh scam.
"A crusade against corruption has to be continuous and consistent. It cannot be sporadic. It can not be a put-on exercise. Sporadic reactions dramatised before the media are only intended to show oneself as different even though you are still a part of the same cesspool."
He also hit out at the Congress vice president for not venting out his anger over his party aligning with a convicted leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and attacked him for remaining a mute spectator even after his government was involved in one scam after another - be it the 2G Spectrum, Coal Block allocation or Commonwealth Games scam.
"The anger was missing," he said.
In the 2G spectrum allocation scam where a "monumental loss" has been caused to the National Exchequer, Congress has tried to put a lid on the scandal by producing a "spurious" JPC report which carried "no credibility" and exonerated the guilty and blamed the NDA government.
In the coal block allocation scandal, the illegally allocated blocks are yet to be cancelled. "There is no urge in him to stand up and protest. He remained a mute spectator when day after day scams took place in relation to the Commonwealth Games," he said.
Subsequently in 2011, he said, during the debate on the Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha, he suggested a constitutional amendment and claimed that his speech was a game changer.
Jaitley also recalled how earlier this year, after the monsoon session of Parliament, the central government proposed an amendment which would enable convicted MLAs/MPs to enjoy substantial privileges available to a member of a legislative body and Gandhi termed the proposal as "non-sense" and has now disapproved of the Maharashtra Government's proposal to reject the Commission of Inquiry report on Adarsh scam.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
