The Congress Friday dismissed former environment minister Jayanthi Nataranjan's comments as "opportunistic and pageant", adding the allegations of interference by party vice president Rahul Gandhi seemed "inspired" from the BJP.
"This is unfortunate that a person who spent four terms in parliament and held key positions in the party made allegations that are opportunistic and pageant in nature," party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters Friday.
Alluding to the Bharatiya Janata Party that coined the term "Jayanthi tax", Singhvi alleged that she was being "controlled" by the Congress' political opponents who were on a "slippery ground" in the run-up to the assembly election in Delhi.
"Her special remarks on vice president (Rahul Gandhi) appear to be similarly inspired from the same quarters (the BJP)."
The term "Jayanthi tax" was popularised following Natarajan's brief spell as environment minister in 2013, when she was seen as a roadblock to several development projects.
Natarajan Friday announced her resignation from the party, saying she had only acted on "specific inputs" from Gandhi's office during her tenure as the environment minister.
