New Delhi, Delhi, India
Accusing the Congress party of launching âfake campaignsâ against the defence forces, judiciary and Reserve Bank, Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said it is time to protect the country as well as its institutions from âinstitution wreckersâ.
In a hard-hitting Facebook post, the minister recalled how the Congress-led governments used to interfere with institutions like the RBI, judiciary and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
âIt is about time that India and its institutions are protected from these âinstitution wreckersâ,â said Jaitley, who Saturday returned from the US after medical treatment.
In the post titled âInstitutions Under Attack - The Latest Fabricationâ, Jaitley said the past two months have witnessed several âfake campaignsâ which failed to cut much ice as falsehood does not have longevity.
The âcompulsive contrariansâ continued to jump from one falsehood to another, he said.
Jaitley said in West Bengal, democracy is seriously under peril.
âBJP leaders canât land, public meetings are being prevented and the Rath Yatra was disallowed. The Congress Partyâs stand on multiple issues is self-contradictory. It slaughters a cow before the cameras in Kerala, and invokes the National Security Act against the cow killers in Madhya Pradesh,â he said.
There are two critical features of these new emerging breed of âinstitution protectorsâ. They criticise the government the maximum and simultaneously argue that the free speech is in danger, Jaitley said.
âThey shed crocodile tears for democracy and make every effort to convert the worldâs largest democracy into a dynastic one,â he said.
âThe Congress aligned with the Maoist in the recent Chhattisgarh elections. Rahul Gandhi stood shoulder to shoulder with the âTukde Tukdeâ gang at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The Congress was in the forefront of defending the urban naxals in court. And yet it claims to be friend of both, the idea of India and its institutions,â Jaitley said.
He said these âinstitution protectorsâ support the legitimising of illegal infiltrators into India. They readily jump to the support of those who want to dismember the country, he said.
Accusing Congress President Rahul Gandhi of stalling functioning of Parliament, Jaitley said his two speeches on Rafale are based on a personal hatred for the Prime Minister emanating from envy.
âHistory will record that Pt. Jawaharlal Nehruâs great grandson has singularly damaged Indiaâs Parliament as an institution more than anyone else,â he said.
The minister said the Congress attempts at 11.00 am every morning to disrupt both houses of Parliament.
âIf we analyse Rahul Gandhiâs two speeches on Rafale, they are based on a personal hatred for the Prime Minister emanating from envy. A failed student always hates the class topper. Additionally, the context of the speeches points more to college-level lumpenisation in content.
âIt has been left to two opposition members namely Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJD and N.K. Premachandran of the RSP to fill up the intellectual vacuum that the Congress has created,â he said.
On Rafale, Jaitley said the deal not only strengthens the combat ability of the Indian Air Force but saved thousands of crores for the exchequer.
âWhen its falsehood collapsed, its creators by producing half a document lost their full credibility. They forgot that truth always prevails,â he said.
Accusing the Congress of organising loot on the banks between 2008-2014, Jaitley said the party is now alleging that industrial loans had been waived. âNot a single rupee was waived. On the contrary, the defaulters have been thrown out of management & Congressâs falsehood was exposed,â he said.
Stating that the government has consistently maintained an armâs length distance with the Election Commission, he said the attack on the EVMs is not merely to allay defeat, it is an attack on the commission.
He also said it is the Opposition which questioned first the existence of the surgical strike and then played it down as a routine action which has also taken place in the past.
âThe Army Chief was described as a âSadak ka Gundaâ. Serious doubts have been raised on the Air Force led choice of the combat aircraft Rafale and its negotiation process. In the face of all this, they allege that institutions are under attack by the Government would be a mockeryâ he said.
On RBI, Jaitley said Congress governments in the past have been liberal in asking governors of the central bank to quit.
âPt. Nehru, Mrs Indira Gandhi and subsequently Mr Yashwant Sinha had asked Governors to quit. During the UPA Government, two Governors were barely on speaking terms with the Finance Minister. Nothing of this kind has happened in the recent past,â he said.
The government legitimately flags the issues relating to liquidity and credit availability with the RBI, Jaitley said.
âThe Government is the principal manager of the nationâs economy. How can raising legitimate issues relating to credit and liquidity availability be an interference with the RBI. The Government consistently maintained communications with the RBI Governors during its tenure,â Jaitley said.
Stating that the government does not interfere in any investigative function of CBI or any other investigative agency, Jaitley said restoring the credibility of an investigative agency is strengthening the institution and not assaulting it.