Expressing strong disappointment with the Centre for approving government accommodation for BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, the Congress Party on Saturday said that the former was rewarded for 'dragging their top leadership to court'.
"The way Subramanian Swamy has been working against the Congress Party, we always had the doubt that the BJP Government, the Prime Minister himself and ministers of his cabinet are behind this. This is a reward to him just because he has been able to drag the Congress leadership to the court," Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media here.
"The way this BJP Government has been targeting the opposition, this has never happened in this country," he added.
Raising question on the allotment of government accommodation to the BJP leader, Azad said neither he resides in a border state where there is a threat of security due to terrorist, nor he has made any comments on terrorists which may pose a danger to him.
"Swamy is not even the Member of Parliament and this government went out of the way to give 'Z category security' and allotted him the government residence," he added.
Congress Lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge said his party respected the judiciary and would be obeying its order.
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"Whatever the court decides, we would be obeying it. Even Indira Gandhi and Pandit Nehru went in front judiciary to explain their points," he added.
Kharge further alleged that it was the BJP who was playing politics on the issue.
According to reports, the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA), chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the accommodation to the former Union minister who will have to pay five times the normal government charges. Sources said the Singh-headed panel took the decision in view of Swamy being a 'Z'-category protectee with CRPF cover.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed the case in a local court in 2012, alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds by Gandhis in acquiring ownership of now-defunct daily National Herald.
The trial court then issued summons to the two leaders among others in June 2014, but they approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay. On Monday this week, the high court refused to stay the summons, and asked all of the accused to appear for a hearing for today.