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Gandhi, Jayanti: Letter bomb explodes in Jayanthi Natarajan’s face, Rahul escapes holier

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Kamlesh Singh
Kamlesh SinghJan 31, 2015 | 14:00

Gandhi, Jayanti: Letter bomb explodes in Jayanthi Natarajan’s face, Rahul escapes holier

”I, Jayanthi Natarajan, do swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”

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~ Jayanthi Natarajan, July 12, 2011

“I received specific requests [which used to be directives for us] from Shri Rahul Gandhi and his office forwarding environmental concerns in some important areas and I took care to honour those requests…

The same happened in the case of the Adani projects, where I faced tremendous criticism from within the Cabinet and outside, for stalling investment at a time when the country wasgoing through a difficult time in terms of the economy...

In several cases including the stalled GVK power project, regarding the Dhari Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh, the Lavasa project in Maharashtra, the Nirma cement plant in Gujarat and in several other cases I was given specific input, to make my decision…”

~ Jayanthi Natarajan, as revealed on January 30, 2015

 

This is being called a letter bomb. If that is so, it is addressed to the sender. Boom. If the splinters have hurt anyone, it’s Jayanthi Natarajan herself. This is being seen as a criticism of Rahul Gandhi. The truth is that she charges him only with not meeting her after several requests. That’s not a crime, is it? What definitely should be a crime is ministers putting their loyalty to the party above that to the nation.

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While discharging one’s duty as a minister, if one acts not in accordance of the Constitution and the law but for fear of someone or to favour someone is what crime looks like, even if there is no ill-will. If you look at her letter closely, she indicts herself and makes Rahul Gandhi sound like a god who could do no wrong. If that is so, then Rahul was right in not meeting a minister who would sell her soul to prove her loyalty to the party. Maybe Sonia snubbed her because she should have.

She has levelled some serious allegations against herself. She held the position of Union minister for environment and forests. The job of the environment minister is to protect the environment, not the economy. That is with the finance and other ministers. That’s how the system of checks and balances work. The ministry for environment and forests is not supposed to be a roadblock to growth. It is supposed to pave the way for sustainable growth. The word "sustainable" is the key word. For a country ravaged by regular natural calamities, it is important that we build to sustain. All cars have brakes, not to obstruct its movement, but to ensure there are no accidents.

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If she took decisions, even those that stalled multi-crore projects, to protect the environment, she did her job. That is what is required of the environment minister. If she did it to please her bosses, Congress president and vice president, than she was not fit for the position and she violated the oath that she took. The oath was not to the Congress party but to the Constitution. If she did something for fear or favour, she is the one who violated the sanctity of her own oath.

She replaced Jairam Ramesh when she was made a minister in 2011. Jairam Ramesh was more of a conservationist and is remembered for being harsh on multi-crore projects that exploit our natural resources without a care for environment. He was never charged with institutionalising a "Jairam Tax". Jayanthi was. The man who coined that phrase is today the prime minister of India. He has not brought out the truth of that tax.

Insinuations before elections are easy to make, following them up post-elections is fraught with dangers. That’s why most regime changes come with disappointments. Modi has to get that investigated and either charge Jayanthi or exonerate her. What about the charges Natarajan levelled against herself? Who will investigate them? Can Jayanthi Natarajan face Jayanthi Natarajan?

She claims to have suffered “the most excruciating mental agony, and have been continuously attacked, wrongly vilified and defamed in the media, and exposed to every possible humiliation in public life.” Well, dogs are lovelier and fiercely more loyal than men. Yet, no man likes to be called a dog. No woman likes to be referred to as a bitch. We overrate loyalty. End of tail.

Last updated: January 31, 2015 | 14:00
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