Rahul Gandhi should give proof in Parliament, says govt

It said the Congress vice president should back up his allegations against the PMO instead of wasting the House's time with disruptions

Hitting back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the NDA government on Wednesday dared him to provide proof in Parliament of his allegations against the government and PMO on the National Herald issue. It also asked Gandhi to not waste the House's time after the opposition party stalled proceedings alleging political vendetta.

Soon after the Congress Vice President alleged that the National Herald case is "100% 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 party president Sonia Gandhi and 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.