Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah came down heavily on former Union Minister Jayanti Natarajan for what he termed as “false accusations” against All-India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
“It is all rubbish. She wanted a reason to quit the party and chose to level false allegations,” he charged, while reacting to Ms. Natarajan’s letter accusing Mr. Rahul Gandhi of “meddling” in her Ministry. “Rahul Gandhi never interfered in the functioning of Ministers,” he added.
Mr. Siddaramaiah told reporters at Jindal airport, enroute to Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district, here on Friday that Ms. Natarajan had been a Minister in the UPA government and the party spokesperson. She had enjoyed several positions in the party and the government. “Such being the case, how was it appropriate to level false allegations against Mr. Gandhi,” he observed.
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When pointed out that Ms. Natarajan had met BJP national president Amit Shah before making the allegations, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “Let her meet Mr. Shah or (Prime Minister) Modi. The point is that having been in the party for many years it was unfair on her part to level false allegations.”