New Delhi: Former Union minister Jayanthi Natarajan has been cosying up to the BJP, according to a report published in The Indian Express. The report also suggests that the saffron party could induct her only after allegations against her are cleared.
The report said that Natarajan had met BJP chief Amit Shah and a few other senior leaders in December last year. However, Natarajan has denied any such meeting at a press conference in Chennai.
The sources in the report said a minister from Bihar had been in touch with her regarding her joining the BJP.
Modi, during his Lok Sabha election campaigns, had taken Natarajan's name in his speech referring to corruption in the UPA government. “A former Congress Minister from TN delayed key development projects. 'Jayanthi Tax' stalled growth & youth lost jobs. Will Cong answer why?” the Prime Minsiter had said in his tweet.
Earlier, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said she was “acting at the behest of her new political masters who may have got evidence against her”.
Natarajan, who had served as environment minister in Manmohan Singh's Cabinet, on Friday announced her resignation from the party.
She has alleged that she was following the directions on green nod to project and was “vilified, humiliated and sidelined by central leadership” without giving her a chance to explain. She had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in November 2014 charging a section of the party of “defaming” her.
