Congress attacks Arun Jaitley for calling impeachment move a 'revenge petition' by Opposition

Congress on Saturday attacked Arun Jaitley for terming the opposition's impeachment move as a 'revenge petition'.

New Delhi: The Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party on Saturday took a pot shot at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for terming the opposition parties' move to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Dipak Misra, as a "revenge petition".

“'Ít is important to be "right" than to be on the "right side of powers," the Congress party said. 

In a series of tweets, Congress national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that UPA government had duly followed the constitutional procedure under the Judges Inquiry Act for removal of Justice Soumitra Sen of Calcutta High Court.

Surjewala also attached a video showing Arun Jaitley supporting the impeachment move with his tweet. 

"Mr. Jaitley, when you argued for the impeachment of Justice Sen, no one accused you of 'revenge politics'. Instead, the UPA Government followed the Constitutional procedure under the Judges Inquiry Act. It seems your stand on the matter is this," Surjewala said referring to the video. 

Mr. Jaitley, when you argued for the impeachment of Justice Sen, no one accused you of "revenge politics".

Instead the UPA Government followed the Constitutional procedure under the Judges Inquiry Act.

It seems your stand on the matter is this-: pic.twitter.com/h9b74E8gFr — Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 21, 2018

In another tweet, Surjewala referred to Jaitley's reaction to the Supreme Court in 2015 striking down National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act. 

"Mr. Jaitley, it's important to be 'right' then to be on 'right side of powers'. Time to jog your memory. If MPs follow a Constitutional process of impeachment, it is 'politics of revenge'. If Jaitley Ji calls Supreme Court decision as a 'tyranny of the unelected', it is a valid opinion," he tweeted.. 

Mr. Jaitley, it’s important to be ‘right’ then to be on ‘right side of powers’

Time to jog your memory. If MP’s follow a Constitutional process of impeachment,it is ‘politics of revenge’. If Jaitelyji calls Supreme Court decision as ‘tyranny of the unelected’,it is valid opinion pic.twitter.com/ZC112rPdp6 — Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 21, 2018

The reaction from the Congress party came a day after Arun Jaitley wrote a post on his Facebook post accusing the Congress of using impeachment motion as a political tool.

The senior BJP leader said that the opposition's move was a 'revenge petition' to intimidate the judiciary following the Supreme Court's verdict on Judge BH Loya's death.

In a strongly-worded Facebook blog, Jaitley called the judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya death case as an instance "that almost created a judicial mutiny". The Union Minister posted the blog on his Facebook page on Friday afternoon, a day after the Supreme Court of India rejected a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge BH Loya.

Jaitley, who is also a renowned lawyer, said that a "reading of the judgement exposes every facet of the conspiracy to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space".

The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had observed that there was no reason to disbelieve the Judicial Officers in the Judge Loya death case while dismissing the petitions. The apex court had ruled that investigation reveals that judge Loya died of natural causes.

As many as 64 members of the Rajya Sabha belonging to seven parties led by the Congress had on Friday submitted an impeachment motion to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairman, for the removal of Chief Justice Dipak Misra on five grounds of "misbehaviour."

(With Agency inputs)