The National Herald case today created a political storm with the Congress paralysing Parliament, accusing the Government of "political vendetta" against its leaders, a charge strongly denied by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who asked Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to face trial.
Asserting that the Congress party and its leaders have a lot to answer for, Jaitley dared them for a debate on the matter in Parliament instead of disrupting it tomorrow.
A day after the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea of the Gandhis and others for quashing of summons in the Herald case, Congress members forced repeated adjournments in both Houses of Parliament shouting slogans against the Government. No business could be transacted before the final adjournment a little after 3 pm.
Meanwhile, a local court today gave the Gandhis and four other accused exemption from personal appearance today but asked them to be present on December 19 when the case will be heard.
After a strategy meeting at the Parliament House before start of proceedings, Sonia Gandhi said, "I am the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I am not scared of anyone. I am not disturbed."
She invoked the legacy of the late Prime Minister when she was asked to comment on a union minister's comment "why is she afraid of facing the court."
Speaking in Cuddalore, the party Vice President said he "absolutely" saw "political vendetta" alleging that the Centre thinks it can stop him from asking questions.
"That is not going to happen. This is the way Central government functions. I absolutely see a political vendetta," he said.
Later speaking to reporters in Chennai, Rahul Gandhi dared the government to do "whatever they want to do" but he would not back off an inch.
"I have said before they will do what they will. I will do my job in the opposition job which is to ask questions from the government. I am not afraid of these things. I will not back off even an inch. Let them do whatever they want to do," he said.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad
said it is painful to see the "atmosphere of political vendetta" in the country where ruling party seems all out to make an "opposition-free India" for the last over one-and-a-half-years.
Rejecting Azad's allegation, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said "This government has not done any illegal action against anyone.... In case of Congress leaders, it is not the action of the government but that of the judiciary. ...Court has summoned them and not the government. Give your reply to them."
Contending that there was "misrepresentation of facts", he said, "The government is ready for any discussion...There are serious allegations on Congress leaders."
Jaitley said such practices were done by the Congress earlier and the government was ready to discuss this issue immediately as it wanted to place the facts before Parliament and before the country.
Soon after the Houses were adjourned for the day, Jaitley spoke to media, attacking the Congress for its tactics of stalling.
He asked Sonia and Rahul to face the courts saying India is not a banana republic in which Parliament or media can decide the guilt or innocence in such matters.
"No political vendetta. A private complaint was lodged. Government had nothing to do with it. The High Court has dismissed their case and asked them to go and face trial. Nobody in this country has immunity from law. They can challenge the orders in a higher court or face proceedings," he said.
Jaitley said the substance of the court proceedings is that a political party, Congress, collects funds for political purpose, gets tax exemption but by a series of transactions those funds have been transfered to a trust and then to a company, which is closely held.
That company today is owner of real estate, getting lot of rents. Funds collected for a political activity were used for a commercial purpose. Tax exemptions are for political activity, he said.
Jaitley said the Gandhis were rattled and were adopting needless aggression.
A number of other ministers including Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Jitender Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Nirmala Sitharaman attacked the Congress leadership over disrupting of Parliament.
Congress fielded three of its senior leaders and lawyers -- Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi and Randeep Surjewala -- who insisted that the government and the BJP wanted a "Congress-mukt" Bharat, and hence such cases against Congress leaders were being pushed.
Dubbing Subramanian Swamy as "His Master's Voice", Sibal alleged at the AICC briefing that the BJP leader has been specifically assigned to "persecute and prosecute" the Congress leadership and has been told to target them.
"Who is Subramanian Swamy. He is the power of attorney holder of the BJP to persecute and prosecute the Congress party. We are ready to face the magistrate," Sibal said.
Former Finance Minister and senior lawyer P Chidambaram said the High Court "judgement in National Herald case incomprehensible as it says "what species of criminal offence is not required to be seen at this stage".
"All assets and all income remain with Associated Journals. So, who has misappropriated what?," he said in a series of tweets. "Young Indian is the holding company. Associated Journals is the subsidiary. The directors are the same. So, who has cheated whom?"
"Simple question: how can directors of a non-profit company ( Young Indian ) be charged with illegal profiting?," he said.
The former minister said "No one has has complained that property was entrusted&it has been misappropriated.Yet HC upholds summons to answer charge of breach of trust.
"No one has complained of being cheated. Yet HC upholds summons to answer charge of cheating.
