Amethi, Uttar Pradesh:
A day after a trial court in Delhi ruled out that Home Minister P Chidambaram will not be held criminally liable for the telecom scam that unfolded in India in 2008, when he was Finance Minister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has strongly backed Mr Chidambaram saying petitions like the one filed by Subramanian Swamy don't help but waste the precious time of the government.
The trial court, headed by Judge OP Saini, had rejected a petition by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy to make Mr Chidambaram co-accused in the 2G case. (
2G verdict: Chidambaram off the hook, government exhales)
"I feel sad that time is wasted and the government is not being allowed to function," Priyanka said while addressing a rally in Amethi, a traditional Gandhi bastion. "Chidamabaram has a huge responsibility towards the nation," she added.
The BJP, however, is not convinced. The party says there will be no let-up in its attack on Mr Chidambaram. "Going by the cabinet decision of 2003 and with the UPA after 2004 having not recommended it, it is just not Mr Raja, but the then Finance Minister was equally in the decision making process and therefore we still have a question which I am sure will come through the court sometime. So, it is a bit too early for the Congress to feel vindicated with the verdict," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
Meanwhile, Priyanka also praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her rally. "Our Prime Minister is honest, works well," she said.
Priyanka is campaigning in Uttar Pradesh for Congress, where her brother Rahul is spearheading the party's charge, ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled to begin on February 8.
"Rahul is setting an agenda for development in Uttar Pradesh," she said. She also dismissed talk of the state polls being a prestige issue for her brother. "Rahul's pride lies in your love, not in a win," she told the crowd. (
Watch)
She also that the state has become a victim of opportunistic politics. "Your future is in your hands...the time to do that has come," she urged the voters.