 "Jayanthi Natarajan quits Congress: top quotes")
Admitting that she wrote the letter published by The Hindu to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Jayanthi Natarajan quit the Congress today, blaming the party high command - Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi - for sidelining her. Here are top things she said:
1) My family has been associated with the Indian National Congress since inception. It is really sad that it has come to a point where I have to rethink my association with the party. The Congress is no longer the party it was when I had joined with high hopes. I announce my resignation from the party.
2) I have served without a blemish. I was asked by Rahul Gandhi not to pass projects that can cause tremendous harm to the environment. I did my due diligence and I cancelled some of the large projects. One of them was the Vedanta project. Rahul Gandhi had got letters from NGOs about the Adani project, which he forwarded to my office. Sonia Gandhi also said forest rights should be protected.
3) I followed the party line despite opposition by my Cabinet colleagues.
4) Ajay Maken asked me to launch an offensive against Modi on snoopgate. When I said I would rather attack him on policy, I was told the decision was taken at the highest level.
5) On 20 December, PM Manmohan Singh called me. He told me Sonia Gandhi wanted me for party work; she wanted me to resign.
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6) Surprisingly, just a day later, Rahul Gandhi told a FICCI press conference that environment clearance will no longer be a bottleneck.
7) 100 days before elections (Lok Sabha) why was I removed? I still have no answer to it.
8) I have no issues with the state unit. My issue is with the Congress high command. I was removed as a spokesperson too. I was completely sidelined.
9) Multiple times I asked for a meeting with Sonia/Rahul Gandhi. I was never given an appointment.
10) I have no plans of joining any party as of now.