In a strongly worded letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress’ Jairam Ramesh accused him of distorting facts.
The FM while defending amendments in land reforms on Thursday had hinted that Ramesh, rural development minister in the United Progressive Alliance, had misled the Rajya Sabha.
Ramesh wrote on Friday, “I disagree with many of your contentions but that is in the nature of political debate on such an important legislation with the BJP (and all other political parties) had enthusiastically helped enact in September 2013.”
“But I cannot let any personal accusation you have hurled at me go unchallenged. You have charged me in very harsh language of reneging on what you may think was a commitment made by the Madhya Pradesh government on irrigation projects. You have made it out that I misled the Rajya Sabha.”
“You are wrong and that is the mildest word I can use not wanting to vitiate the political atmosphere further.” Ramesh said
“… I am indeed very sorry that in your understandable exuberance to defend the government’s position on the (land) ordinance you have seen it fit to take liberty with facts and call my integrity into question,” he added.
Jaitley had urged the opposition not to create an environment in which industry and infrastructure became “bad words”.
Taunting former commerce minister Anand Sharma, who made an effective case for the industry in the UPA government in the context of the land bill, Jaitley said he fully supported Sharma but it was Jairam Ramesh (then rural development minister) who persuaded the prime minister and brought a tough law.
Read: Jairam Ramesh's complete letter here
Image: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh
