BackSkipped swearing-in ceremony over LoP post denial: Congress
Ajay Maken says Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inducted ministers with criminal charges against them
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New Delhi: The Congress party said the reason it skipped Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony for members of the expanded Union council of ministers was the government’s denial of the leader of opposition (LoP) post to the party.
“This question should not be asked to a party which has been denied the LoP (post) in Lok Sabha," Congress general secretary Ajay Maken said on Monday, explaining the party’s conspicuous absence.
Asked if the Congress would stay away from all government functions, he said: “It does not mean like that; but the ruling party should also do some self-introspection as to why such a situation is there. The onus lies on the ruling party."
The Congress party, with just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, did not meet the criteria of having a minimum of 55 seats in the Lower House for it to be given the LoP status.
Maken also launched a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet expansion, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had inducted ministers with criminal charges against them. He also accused Modi of reneging on his pledge of minimum government.
“We have a Prime Minister who takes a U-turn on his own council of ministers. A Prime Minister who talks about Clean India, but does not believe in clean politics...forget about cleansing the whole Parliament, he is adding more such tainted ministers to the council of ministers," Maken said while referring to newly inducted Ram Shankar Katheria, who has 23 criminal cases registered against him.
The accusation prompted a sharp response from finance minister Arun Jaitley, who has taken on additional charge of the information and broadcasting ministry.
“In UPA’s (Congress-led United Progressive Alliance) tenure, somebody else used to decide on the council of ministers and the last word was not of the Prime Minister. In NDA (BJP-led National Democratic Alliance), the last word is exclusively that of the PM. The PM takes all decisions, and checks up credentials and facts of ministers who have been appointed. People inducted in the cabinet expansion are not tainted," Jaitley told reporters.
The allegations against Katheria, he said, were unfounded as the cases had risen out of a political agitation.
The Congress party also attacked another newly inducted minister, Y.S. Chowdary of the Telugu Desam Party, saying he had failed to repay business loans worth over ₹ 300 crore.
Jaitley responded: “He (Chowdary) owns several businesses. One of his businesses incurred losses and turned into a NPA (non-performing asset). It has now been restructured and regular payments are being made."
Arvind Keriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party also criticized Modi’s choice of new ministers, saying it showed an attempt to “shield" the corrupt.
“The message is that loyalty is everything for the Prime Minister and everything else is secondary... For show they have included a few honest members, but when it comes to important positions in the government, all boundaries are being sidelined," party leader Yogendra Yadav said.
Remya Nair, Gyan Varma and Pretika Khanna contributed to this story.
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