Cong MLAs decry targetting Sonia

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL.18.

The Delhi Congress(I) MLAs today decried attempts by the NDA Government at the Centre to target the Congress(I) president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, by using the CBI to investigate a frivolous complaint in a bid to divert public attention from the Tehelka issue which had exposed corruption in purchase of security equipment.

Terming the decision of the Vajpayee Government to refer the complaint, submitted by the Janata Party president, Mr.Subramanium Swamy, against Ms. Gandhi as ``vindictive and unholy'', the legislators said the move smelled of vendetta by the BJP-led Government which was trying to target the Congress(I) president.

It was felt that the BJP-led Government was trying to cover up its own misdeeds during the last three years. It was also felt that the Tehelka tapes had destroyed the credibility of the Vajpayee Government.

The MLA from Gandhi Nagar, Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely, warned the Vajpayee Government against such a misadventure, stating that their party would fight it tooth and nail.

Questioning the credentials of the Janata Party president, Mr. Lovely said these baseless charges should have been thrown into the dustbin. Instead, it was referred to the CBI for an inquiry, which amounted to the NDA Government trying to use strong-arm tactics against the Congress(I) and browbeat it. But this will not be tolerated by the Congressmen and the people of the country as they were strongly behind Ms. Gandhi.

Another MLA, Mr. Mahabal Mishra, said it was the habit of the BJP to launch a witch hunt against its opponents by twisting facts. ``They did this to our beloved leaders and former Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and now the same was being done to Ms. Sonia Gandhi,'' he said. Those who accused the Congress(I) of taking bribes in the Bofors purchase, which still has not been proven, had themselves been exposed for taking money in finalising defence deals. It was shameful that the security was being compromised by the NDA Government.

Mr. Mishra said the Vajpayee Government had panicked and was now trying to target the Congress president whose popularity was growing with each passing day. Another MLA, Mr. Bhisham Sharma, said: ``The hidden agenda of the communal Government at the Centre had been exposed and the people have come to known the real face of this communal government. The countrymen had seen with their own eyes the former president of the BJP taking money for fixing defence deals.'' He said in view of the massive response to the offensive launched by the Congress(I) against the NDA Government, the Vajpayee regime had been unsettled and they were now resorting to cheap tactics.

Similar views were expressed by other MLAs including Mr. Talvinder Singh Marwah, Ms. Meira Bhardwaj, Mr. Karan Singh and Mr. Nasib Singh. They said the party would not be cowed down by such threats and take to streets to apprise the people about the ``real face'' of the NDA Government. Such attempts at character assassination of the Congress(I) president would not be tolerated and the Congressmen will react accordingly.

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