Jaya Bachchan attacks Congress

New Delhi: After returning to the Rajya Sabha, Samajwadi party MP Jaya Bachchan, on Monday, launched a veiled attack on the Congress and its leadership.

Jaya said that she decided to stay in politics unlike her husband Amitabh Bachchan as "leaders in my party are known for their steadfastness".

Jaya's attack on Congress came when asked why she had decided to remain in politics unlike Amitabh, who was the Congress MP from Allahabad way back in the eighties during the Rajiv Gandhi days, but had resigned his seat and opted out of politics.

"Ja ke rakho Saiya, mar sake na koi (Those who are protected by the Lord, cannot be harmed by anyone)," she said when asked how she felt to be back in Parliament after being the lone MP to lose membership on the office of profit issue.

Jaya, who was disqualified from the membership of the Rajya Sabha in March on the office of profit issue, and Amitabh Bachchan was mobbed by mediapersons after they came out of the Parliament House and security personnel had a tough time in dealing with the situation.

Jaya said she has great respect for President APJ Abdul Kalam, who is "like a father" to her and the Election Commission.

At the same time, she remarked, "people are intelligent to know why there was so much haste in my disqualification while in other's cases why so much debate is on".

Declaring that she would remain with the Samajwadi Party all her life, Jaya did not comment on whether she considered Sonia Gandhi's resignation from Lok Sabha on the office of profit issue as a "sacrifice".

"Whatever you people say I am ready to accept. If you say it is 'sacrifice' it is 'sacrifice', if you say it is not, it is not. I will only tell my personal opinion to my party and its leadership", she remarked.

Amar Singh, who accompanied Jaya, used the occasion to take potshots at Congress and recalled that the ruling party at the Centre had raised the office of profit issue.

He said that he had then warned the Congress that since it has initiated the move, it should be ready to face the consequences.

"Those who live in glass houses, should not throw stones at others", he remarked.

Noting that Jaya's "sacrifice" had resulted in saving the membership of others similarly placed, he regretted that at that time no major party had come in support of her.