‘Rahul’s office dictated Governments policy’

New Delhi: In what could prove to be a major blow for the Congress party, Senior Congress leader and former Union MoS for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan announced her resignation from the party at a formal press conference in Chennai on Friday.

Addressing the conference, Natarajan acknowledged that she had written the letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. She also repeated the accusations she had made in her letter – on Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, snoopgate, etc.

While addressing the press conference Natarajan said, “I acknowledge that I wrote the letter that appeared in the news papers today. Its time to rethink Congress association, Jayanthi Natarajan said.

Addressing the conference Jayanthi lashed out and said, “It is extremely painful moment for me because Congress blood flows in the veins of my family. Without a single blemish I have served the party, I served country and the party to the best of my capabilities.”

But she also said, “It’s not the same Congress anymore.”

Sharing her pain, Jayanthi highlighted that she had to face the anger and wrath of all her collegues in the military and Cabinet over several issues.  

Stating her tenure free from any allegation of Jayanthi tax, Natarajan said, “My pain is that my name has been tarnished and I had done no wrong.”

“I am ready for any probe into the environmental clearances given during my tenure, as it will give me an opportunity to explain myself. I am ready to be hanged if I am found guilty of any wrongdoing.” Jayanthi added.

Natarajan said she was asked to resign from the ministry, a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections on the pretext of being asked to work for the party.

She has also asked Gandhi why she was never, till date, given an explanation for her sudden departure from the council of ministers.

‘Several times, I have asked for an appointment with Madame Gandhi, but I was denied every time,’ she said at the press meet.

She also slammed Rahul in the letter, accusing people from his office of “planting stories in the media” against her. She wrote in the letter that she even honoured requests from Rahul’s office regarding environmental clearances in specific projects.

“I received specific requests [which used to be directives for us] from Shri Rahul Gandhi and his office forwarding environmental concerns in some important areas and I took care to honour those requests,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, the BJP sharpened its attack on the Congress saying projects worth crores were held up during the previous UPA government for lack of environmental clearance and whims of certain leaders.

“What was so far rumoured has proved to be true,” said Arun Jaitley, union finance minister, reacting to Natarajan’s letter.

He also said that he hoped the current environment ministry would go into each of those permissions and ensure that they are expeditiously dealt with only as per law and not any other consideration.