Jayanthi Natarajan, former Environment Minister, has quit the Congress with a scathing attack on vice-president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after instructing her to protect the environment, he publicly criticised her decisions before the election last year in an attempt to woo industry.
"The main hard line on environment was given by Rahul Gandhi, he could have asked me to move faster if he had concerns," Ms Natarajan said at a press conference in Chennai, where she said she cannot remain in a party that has "an atmosphere of lies and suffocation." She listed in detail the contents of a letter she sent in November to Mr Gandhi's mother, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi; she said the note failed to elicit any response.
As a result, she said that through her tenure as Environment Minister, she faced the "anger and wrath" of others in the cabinet who blamed her stalling development by refusing green clearances for major projects. In December 2013, she said then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "looking grim" said she must resign, as sought by "Madam Gandhi."
'Hooda And Company' Spreading Lies About Agniveer Scheme: Amit Shah In Haryana 'Discipline Your Leaders': Mallikarjun Kharge To PM On "Violent" Remarks Against Rahul Gandhi "He's Boss Even After Congress Lost Thrice": Kiren Rijiju Jabs Rahul Gandhi LIVE: Arvind Kejriwal Resigns, Atishi To Be Delhi Chief Minister AAP Asks Its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal To Quit Over Atishi Remarks Video: Leopard Spotted Crossing Road In Bengaluru's Electronic City Giorgia Meloni's Far-Right Ally Raffaele Fitto Gets Top European Union Role Class 11 Student On Way To Coaching Centre Raped In UP: Police Pics: Supercars Line Up At The World's Largest Temple, Tourists Stunned Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.