The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Opposition reviving Soren case out of jealousy: NJR

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Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Opposition reviving Soren case out of jealousy: NJR

By Our Staff Reporter

NELLORE, JULY 23. The Visakhapatnam MP and permanent invitee of the Congress Working Committee, N. Janardhana Reddy, has criticised the behaviour of the Opposition in the Union Coal Minister, Shibu Soren's case, and questioned the rationale behind stalling parliamentary proceedings.

Vindictive act

Talking to reporters at his residence at Nellore on Friday, Mr. Reddy made a scathing attack on the Opposition and wanted to know why a 29-year-old case against the Minister was being raked up now.

He asked whether the Government had been "sleeping" all these years, alleging that the issue was being taken up now because Mr. Soren had become Union Minister. "Is this not vindictiveness," he asked.

Mr. Reddy asked whether there had been "a single instance in history" of a case being revived after a gap of 29 years.

Case motivated

He said this case had been brought up because Mr. Soren, a tribal, had become Union Minister. "It is just utter jealousy," he said.

Asked about the non-bailable warrant against Mr. Soren, Mr. Reddy said such a warrant had also been issued against the President of India and asked why it had not been executed. "The Magistrate had been described as a madman then," he said, adding that Mr. Soren had moved court to fight the warrant.

Advani countered

Countering the former Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani's charge that Mr. Soren was "absconding," Mr. Reddy said the BJP leader's name had figured in the chargesheet pertaining to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. "His name was deleted as he was a Minister," he said. About references to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, he said, "The Speaker is not a police informant," and asserted that Mr. Soren had not "obstructed the law."

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