Visibly upset with the Opposition party’s unrelenting protests, Modi said, “Democracy cannot function at the whims and fancies of anyone.”
Repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have stalled the government’s efforts to push key reforms, especially the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, this winter session. “It is not only GST but many pro-poor steps are stuck in Parliament,” Modi said. His remarks came after the BJP dared the Opposition for a debate on the National Herald case.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a fierce attack on Congress President Sonia Gandhi said India has never accepted that the ‘queen’ is not answerable to the law and asked her and Rahul Gandhi to contest the issue in courts instead of disrupting Parliament. Rejecting the Congress charge of political vendetta being pursued by the government, he said the government has “so far not taken any punitive action”.
In a Facebook post titled , ‘Why the Congress is wrong’, Jaitley attacking the Gandhis said the Congress leaders created a Chakravyuh for themselves through a series of financial transactions where tax-exempt income of a political party was transferred to a real estate company. “The Enforcement Directorate has not issued any notice to them. The Income Tax authorities will follow their own procedure. The Government has passed no order in relation to the disputed transactions,” he said
“The battle has to be fought legally. But the results of legal battles are always uncertain. The Congress is, therefore, crying foul and calling it political vendetta,” he said asking if the charge was against the courts.
“No one is above the law. India has never accepted the diktat that the queen is not answerable to the law. Why should the Congress Party and its leaders not contest the notice before the Court? The Government cannot help them in the matter, nor can the Parliament. Why then disturb the Parliament and prevent legislative activity?,” added Jaitley.