Manmohan Singh was not the first whip of the Cabinet, but it was Rahul, now president-elect of the Congress, who called the shots.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused Rahul Gandhi of having scuttled developmental projects in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister and the UPA was in power at the Centre.
E-mails show that during the Congress-led UPA rule for a decade, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not the first whip of the Cabinet, but it was Rahul, now president-elect of the Congress, who called the shots.
In a second presser, within hours of the first on Wednesday, Goyal showed a series of e-mail correspondence between then Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan and Rahul's political secretary, wherein the minister was found seeking and taking orders from the Gandhi scion.
The e-mails also reveal that Natarajan was going behind Manmohan Singh's back and was not just divulging privileged conversation with the PM to Rahul regarding developments in the ministry and the government, but was also seeking "guidance" from Rahul and his then Congress president mother Sonia Gandhi.
Natarajan is also seen seeking time to meet Rahul's aides.
(Email exchange between Rahul Gandhi & Jayanthi Natarajan)
Incidentally, Rahul was just a party functionary with no formal role in the government, but he is seen directing a minister on issues of national importance.
It goes on to show that the first family of the Congress was in power rather than Manmohan Singh.
In an e-mail, Natarajan tells Rahul how she was opposed to the introduction of GM Crops. She also informs in a complaining tone: "However, I have just received a call from the Prime Minister, where although I tried to convince him, he has specifically overruled me..." Also, she briefed Sonia Gandhi on this issue and claims to have sent a note by hand.
Goyal cited another e-mail in which "Rahul Gandhi opposed Nirma project and instructed Natarajan to not give environmental clearance. He was willing to kill jobs in Gujarat to undermine and to hurt development agenda of Narendra Modi," he said.
In an e-mail, Rahul instructs Natarajan to not "dilute Nirma" as "Nirma is high priority, especially for Gujarat - no dilution must be allowed".
"A Home grown company was being killed by the petty politics of Rahul Gandhi," Goyal said. Natarajan presents clarification on this issue, promising to "work tirelessly" to "justify confidence which CP and Rahul have placed" in her.
Later, in yet another mail, Kanishka Singh, Rahul's aide, "reminds" Natarajan that the case was coming up before the SC on December 9 and that "MoEF can move towards closure report". Natarajan replies that she had already denied clearance to reject the Nirma project and that she had informed Rahul of this by e-mail.
Similarly, the then minister admits to briefing Rahul on confidential instructions between her and then PM Manmohan Singh, seeking once more "urgent guidance" on Lavasa from Rahul. She discusses options and asks the Congress leader to be told about this and guidance be given to "proceed further".
In an e-mail, Rahul is seen inquiring about road projects in Amethi and Raebareli when none existed. "Knowledge of Rahul Gandhi was such that he did not know that there was no proposal on Amethi- Rae Bareilly Highway, but he was instructing Jayanthi Natarajan to clear it."
Nevertheless, Natarajan gives a detailed picture on the said file in less than two hours of receiving the e-mail. Also, she promises to immediately clear any proposal when received.
In addition, she makes a promise regarding a file pertaining to "a Lucknow to Sultanpur road, which goes via Barabanki and Amethi/National Highway 56": "I will see that the file is cleared before the end of the month."
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