Jayanthi Natarajan quits in style, insulting the Congress

The News Minute | January 30, 2015 | 09.20 am ISTJayanthi Natarajan’s exit from the Congress will be a talked about for years to come. After 30 years in the party, Natarajan has quit in style, insulting the Congress and how.Senior Congress leader and former Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan’s disenchantment with the Congress began when she was asked to resign from the party in December 2013, with less than 100 days to go before the government’s tenure was due to be completed, and also significantly, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.In her letter, Natarajan blows the lid off how the Congress party functions. She had written a strongly worded letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi that she had been the victim of “vicious, false and motivated” media campaign. Addressing the media on Friday afternoon, Natarajan said that she had issues with the national high command, and not with the state Congress. She said that she had been asked to return to the Delhi against her wishes and had also been asked to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Snoopgate issue.She told the media: “I have come to the media, it is not about party work. I have been loyal to Congress, and no shame in saying that I am a loyalist. But why, for close to one year, was everyone was allowed to ruin my reputation and that of my family?”She also said: “Since the party is undemocratic, I had to come to the people myself with my side of the explanation. If anyone can prove any allegation against me, I am ready to be hanged, ready to go to jail.”She also said that she could not work in such 'suffocating' atmosphere and resigned from her post as trustee of the party and also from primary membership in the Congress. She said she had taken the decision to “uphold the dignity of my family”.When asked whether she had plans to join any other party, she declined. "I have neither any intention of joining any other party nor form a party of my own", she said. When rumours of her impending resignation surfaced a few weeks back, Jayanthi Natarajan had told The News Minute that she would not be joining the BJP.Ms Natarajan is expected to announce her decision on Friday. However, GK Vasan of the Tamil Maanila Congress said that he was not aware on any details regarding Ms. Natrajan's decision. In her letter addressed to "Hon'ble Smt Sonia Gandhi," she asks the reason for her being asked to resign as minister. "I want to place on record, that from December 20, 2013, until now, I have still not been told by you, why I was asked to resign from the Council of Ministers, nor have I ever been asked or given an opportunity to explain, if indeed I had committed any wrongdoing."She says that she received a latter from the then Prime Minister who "praised the excellent work" of hers. She, therefore, comes to a conclusion that it was not her inability that was the reason for her being asked to quit. "It was clearly not the Prime Minister nor my work in Government, which led to my ouster as Minister. Thus it still baffles me, why I was humiliated so brutally."She further admits to have resigned on being asked to do party work ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, however, “I received information that persons from the office of Shri Rahul Gandhi were calling the media and planting stories that my resignation was NOT for party work,” she wrote.She says in the letter that even Rahul Gandhi had refused to meet her saying that he was “running a little busy.” She further says that she was not given any party work post retirement. She also says that she felt "pressurised and used" by the party to do things which she "considered wrong." TweetFollow @thenewsminute