Being in Opposition doesn't give immunity against corruption, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asserted that investigative agencies are free to chase those who contravene law irrespective of their political affiliation, rejecting any perception that the NDA government is seeking to coerce opposition parties into submission by setting the enforcement agencies after them.
Speaking at the Times Now Summit, themed 'India Unstoppable', Sitharaman also said that she was given the option by BJP president JP Nadda to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, she expressed inability on the grounds that «I don't have the kind of money» required to fight polls, among others. The minister is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka.
«After thinking over a week or ten days, I just went back to say… maybe not. I do not have that kind of money to contest. I also have a problem whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. It's also going to be a question of various other winnability criteria that they use… Are you from this community or are you from that religion? Are you from this? I said no, I do not think I am going to be able to do it,» she said.
As for probe agencies, she said: «Law pursues those who disobey it.» Just because an offender belongs to an opposition party doesn't give them immunity from being accountable for illegal acts, she stressed. She added that the probe agencies' inaction against the UPA's scandals had then earned them the moniker 'caged parrot'. «The caged parrot is now let to do its job,» she said.
Addressing the gathering, Times Group MD Vineet Jain said India
