Rahul Gandhi slams BJP govt, says 2G scam verdict a ‘vindication’ for Congress

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi chaired a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday, his first since taking over as party president last week.

Against the backdrop of the 2G spectrum allocation verdict acquitting all accused, Gandhi said that the “truth is out” and attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“I think 2G has been a vindication. The whole architecture of BJP is about lies; the whole structure is about lies. If you see the (Narendra) Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. When we went to Gujarat and spoke to the people in Gujarat, they said there is no model and what is going on is stealing of their resources,” Gandhi told reporters after the meeting ended.

His comments came a day after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court acquitted all 17 accused in the 2G case, which had brought corruption to the centre stage during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which the then ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) lost.

“The three judgements pronounced by the special CBI court are of enormous value due to the fact that they completely undermine and demolish seven years of slander and fabricated political propaganda circulated by the BJP,” the CWC said in a statement summing up the 2G verdict.

“BJP maligned the country and the Congress party for years together, making false allegations of corruption as their principle strategy to gain power,” the statement added.

The CWC adopted a resolution, thanking former party president Sonia Gandhi “for her guidance and leadership”. The meeting also discussed the just-concluded assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

“We recently fought elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. I would like to thank everyone in the Congress party for the work that they did there and the spirit with which they fought these elections. It was disappointing that we lost but it was pleasing to see the Congress party fight hatred and anger with respect, love and courage. I send my good wishes to the people of both states,” Gandhi said in his opening address.

The winter session of Parliament continued to be disrupted on Friday by the Congress over demands that the BJP apologize for its accusations in the 2G spectrum scam.

Both houses of Parliament, particularly the Rajya Sabha, have been disrupted over the past week, with the Congress also demanding that Prime Minister Modi should clarify his statements against former prime minister Manmohan Singh during a campaign rally in Gujarat.

On Friday, the Rajya Sabha adjourned soon after it assembled for the day to meet again only on 27 December owing to a long weekend on account of Christmas.

PTI contributed to this story.