New Delhi: Signalling that it won't back down on Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti issue, Congress today rejected government's attempts to project her as a ‘poor ignorant village woman belonging to weaker sections” and targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, in the matter.
“To state that somebody is ignorant is not an intelligent answer. It is rather a silly argument...Every person should take responsibility and those who are given a particular post should also take responsibility...It is the Prime Minister who has the prerogative to appoint ministers.
“In my understanding of the Constitution, affirmative action is to provide opportunities, it does not sanction the violation of law. Their (BJP) understanding of Constitutional provisions showed a lacking many times,” Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid told reporters.
He also said everybody has some remote or direct connection with villages and “village people are very erudite, sesible, great story-tellers and have tremendous amount of wisdom...we are truly proud to be associated with them.”
His remarks came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu alleged that Congress leaders, who had made objectionable statements in the past, got away because they were all “big” leaders but Jyoti was being targeted as she was “making a big impact”.
“Someone from a village....one woman, first timer to Parliament.... now they are trying to take on her because they are afraid she is influencing people in Uttar Pradesh in a big way,” Naidu said.
Khurhsid rejected contentions that the Opposition had made a climbdown on the issue as its demand has now come to passing of a resolution instead of resingation of the minister.
“The resolution can have anything. At this stage to say that the resolution is a climb-up or climb-down is not fair. I do not think that we should pre-empt the resolution,” he said replying to a number of questions including whether Congress has now given up the demand for her resignation.
