Read full text: Jayanthi Natarajan's letter to Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi, Jan 30: In a shocking letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, senior leader Jayanthi Natarajan made some startling claims that could hurt the party's image in the coming days.
The full text of the letter published in The Hindu today, states that Natarajan was victimised by her colleagues and that she had suffered mental agony for a very long time.She also takes on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the letter
More cracks in Cong; Jayanthi Natarajan makes startling claims in letter to Sonia Gandhi
Here is the full text of the letter:
Hon'ble
Smt.
Sonia
Gandhi,
President,
Indian
National
Congress
November
5,
2014
Madam,
I
write
to
you
with
a
very
heavy
heart.
Over
the
last
11
months,
I
have
suffered
the
most
excruciating
mental
agony,
and
have
been
continuously
attacked,
wrongly
vilified
and
defamed
in
the
media,
and
exposed
to
every
possible
humiliation
in
public
life.
As
I
write
today,
more
than
30
years
of
my
loyal,
faithful,
and
dedicated
service
to
our
party
stand
destroyed
and
in
shambles
around
me.
My
entire
career
is
ruined,
and
above
all,
the
sacred
and
venerable
legacy
of
my
family,
which
served
our
nation
and
party
with
immense
distinction,
and
patriotism
stands
in
danger
of
being
tarnished.
As
you
are
aware,
I
am
a
fourth
generation
Congress
worker.
Three
generations
before
me,
fought
for
the
independence
of
our
country
from
the
British,
and
spent
many
long
years
in
jail,
along
with
other
stalwarts
of
the
freedom
movement.
After
independence,
my
family
served
the
country
and
the
Congress
party
with
great
dedication,
and
my
grandfather
who
was
the
last
Congress
Chief
Minister
of
the
State,
my
aunt
who
was
a
selfless
social
worker,
have
etched
the
name
of
my
family
in
the
annals
of
our
history
as
patriots
and
nationalists.
I
myself
have
served
the
Congress
party
from
1984,
have
been
a
four
time
MP,
and
a
former
Minister
of
State,
without
a
single
blemish
on
my
reputation,
in
terms
of
integrity
in
public
life,
and
my
loyalty
to
my
party
and
my
country.
Thirty
years
later,
for
no
fault
of
mine,
I
find
that
my
own
small
work,
and
the
glorious
legacy
of
my
family
stand
ruined.
I
am
still
unable
to
understand
what
I
have
done
wrong,
or
what
crime
I
have
committed
to
have
been
treated
like
this
in
the
party
I
have
faithfully
served
so
long.
I
want
to
categorically
state
that
I
have
always
been
a
loyal,
sincere
dedicated
party
worker,
implicitly
obeying
the
orders
of
my
leaders.
I
have
always
carried
out
any
task
assigned
to
me
with
sincerity
and
dedication,
and
have
never
been
guilty
of
any
wrongdoing
of
any
kind,
in
my
public
and
personal
life.
In
these
circumstances,
the
disaster
which
happened
to
me
on
the
December
20,
2013,
was
a
thunderbolt,
which
hit
me
from
the
blue
and
destroyed
my
life.
Until
now,
I
have
been
unable
to
understand
what
was
wrongdoing
was
committed
by
me
to
suddenly
receive
what
was
virtually
a
sentence
of
death.
I
want
to
place
on
record,
that
from
December
20,
2013,
until
now,
I
have
still
not
been
told
by
you,
why
I
was
asked
to
resign
from
the
Council
of
Ministers,
nor
have
I
ever
been
asked
or
given
an
opportunity
to
explain,
if
indeed
I
had
committed
any
wrongdoing.
On
the
other
hand,
the
then
Prime
Minister
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
wrote
a
letter
to
me,
accepting
my
resignation,
in
which
he
praised
the
excellent
work
I
had
done
as
Minister,
and
what
he
termed
my
valuable
contribution
as
Minister.
In
these
circumstances,
it
was
clearly
not
the
Prime
Minister
nor
my
work
in
Government,
which
led
to
my
ouster
as
Minister.
Thus
it
still
baffles
me,
why
I
was
humiliated
so
brutally.
To
recall
the
sequence
of
events,
I
would
like
to
record,
that
I
was
carrying
out
my
duties
as
Minister
of
State
(I/C)
Environment
and
Forests
in
the
routine
course,
when
suddenly
that
day
on
December
20,
2013,
the
then
PM,
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
summoned
me
to
his
office.
When
I
entered
he
stood
up
from
his
chair,
looking
tense
and
grim,
and
uttered
these
exact
words.
He
said
"Jayanthi,
I
have
been
told
by
Congress
President,
that
your
services
are
required
for
party
work."
I
was
puzzled,
and
I
said,
"Yes
Sir.
So
what
should
I
do?"
He
replied,
"She
wants
you
to
resign."
I
was
shocked
and
said,
"Resign
Sir?
But
when?"
He
replied
"Today."
I
once
again
asked
him
if
this
was
what
the
Congress
president
wished.
He
answered
in
the
affirmative.
Unsuspecting,
and
trusting
you
totally,
I
did
not
utter
a
single
word,
but
smiled
at
him
and
said
I
would
comply
with
the
wishes
of
the
Congress
President.
I
was
so
guile
free,
that
I
honestly
believed
that
you
wanted
me
to
work
for
the
party,
and
that
it
was
an
honour
to
be
so
chosen.
I
did
not
for
a
second
at
that
time,
imagine
the
consequences
of
resigning
just
100
days
before
the
elections
were
due,
and
what
would
lie
in
store
for
me
in
the
future.
I
trusted
you
with
my
life,
and
even
more
importantly,
with
my
reputation,
my
career
and
the
legacy
of
my
family.
Thereafter,
I
asked
for
time
to
meet
you.
However,
I
was
told
that
I
could
talk
to
you
on
the
telephone.
During
our
conversation
I
repeated
what
the
Prime
Minister
told
me,
and
you
reiterated
that
I
should
resign
and
do
Party
work.
Within
half
an
hour
of
meeting
the
then
Prime
Minister,
I
sent
in
my
letter
of
resignation,
stating
that
I
would
like
to
resign
from
the
office
of
Minister,
due
to
my
desire
to
devote
myself
to
party
work,
ahead
of
the
Lok
Sabha
elections.
As
mentioned
earlier,
Dr.
Singh
immediately
accepted
my
resignation,
and
in
that
letter
profusely
lauded
my
contribution
to
the
government.
The
next
day
my
resignation
was
headlines
in
the
media,
and
all
the
initial
reports
correctly
reported
that
I
had
stepped
down
for
party
work.
By
the
afternoon,
to
my
shock,
I
received
information
that
persons
from
the
office
of
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
were
calling
the
media
and
planting
stories
that
my
resignation
was
NOT
for
party
work.
My
sources
were
impeccable,
and
I
felt
unease.
Thereafter,
the
media
was
flooded
with
negative
stories
about
me.
The
same
day,
namely,
the
day
after
I
resigned,
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
addressed
a
FICCI
meeting
of
industrialists,
where
he
made
uncomplimentary
references
to
delays
in
environmental
clearances,
and
the
adverse
effects
upon
the
economy,
and
assured
the
corporate
world,
that
the
party
and
government
would
henceforth
ensure
that
there
would
be
no
delays,
and
bottlenecks
for
industry.
After
being
alerted
by
the
media,
I
saw
the
entire
speech
on
YouTube.
It
was
then
that
some
in
the
media
questioned
me
if
I
had
been
asked
to
resign
immediately,
to
enable
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
to
address
FICCI
and
the
corporate
world
with
the
news
of
my
resignation
in
the
background.
An
assurance
was
sought
to
be
given
to
the
corporate
world
that
they
need
no
longer
worry
about
environmental
clearance
delays
and
that
bottlenecks
would
be
removed,
although
throughout
my
very
brief
tenure,
I
strictly
followed
the
laws
and
rules
and
tried
to
protect
the
environment,
in
keeping
with
the
legacy
of
Smt.
Indira
Gandhi
and
Shri
Rajiv
Gandhi,
who
first
brought
in
the
Environment
Protection
Act.
Natarajan: I have defended the party day and night, 24 hours a day
Since
I
had
only
followed
this
line
of
our
party,
I
could
not
understand
why
I
had
been
asked
to
resign
within
half
an
hour
on
the
previous
day,
especially
since
I
had
never
been
told
of
any
issues
prior
to
December
20,
2013.
Some
analysts
speculated
that
I
might
be
projected
as
the
focal
point
for
the
perceived
failure
of
the
economy
at
that
time.
What
followed
was
a
hysterical
vicious
false
and
motivated
campaign
against
me,
in
the
media,
orchestrated
entirely
by
particular
chosen
individuals
in
the
party.
There
was
not
a
single
word
of
truth
in
what
was
said,
nor
was
there
a
single
concrete
fact.
I
was
never
a
bottleneck,
nor
was
I
ever
responsible
for
unwarranted
delays
in
major
projects,
and
I
can
prove
this
at
any
time.
I
was
shattered
by
the
attack
upon
me,
and
bewildered.
I
wrote
a
passionate
message
to
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi,
about
my
removal
as
Minister,
and
his
speech,
at
FICCI,
and
asked
him
what
wrongdoing
I
had
committed
to
warrant
this
treatment.
I
said,
that
I
should
have
been
asked
for
an
explanation,
IF
I
had
done
anything
wrong,
as
even
a
murderer
has
his
say
in
court,
and
here
I
don't
even
know
what,
if
any
wrong
doing
was
committed
by
me.
I
told
him
that
my
family
legacy
and
my
name
would
be
forever
ruined,
and
all
I
had
done
was
my
duty.
I
asked
him
to
tell
me,
what
wrong
I
had
committed.
I
asked
for
time
to
meet
him.
He
replied
that
he
was
"running
a
little
busy"
at
that
time,
but
that
he
would
meet
me
a
little
later.
Despite
several
requests,
that
day
never
came.
Not
till
this
minute.
I
took
a
break
of
10
days,
and
went
to
my
sister's
home
to
recover.
When
I
returned,
in
the
first
week
of
January
2014,
I
was
given
an
appointment
to
meet
you.
During
our
meeting,
I
explained
my
agony
to
you,
over
the
attack
which
had
been
unleashed
upon
me
and
asked
what
I
had
done
wrong.
You
replied
that
the
elections
were
coming
up
and
I
was
required
for
party
work.
I
told
you
that
the
media
was
keen
I
should
speak
to
them
in
view
of
the
huge
speculation
over
my
resignation,
but
you
specifically
told
me
not
to
meet
the
media.
From
that
day
until
now,
I
have
honoured
that
word.
But
from
that
day
until
now,
I
have
neither
been
given
party
work,
nor
have
I
been
given
an
opportunity
to
meet
you,
despite
several
requests.
In
fact,
later
in
January,
I
was
again
shocked
and
distressed
to
receive
a
telephone
call
from
Ajay
Maken,
Head
of
Congress
Media
cell.
He
informed
me,
that
my
name
was
being
removed
from
the
list
of
party
spokespersons,
that
the
decision
was
taken
"at
the
highest
level"
and
other
work
would
be
assigned
to
me.
I
have
served
as
party
spokesperson
for
over
10
long
years
during
very
difficult
times.
I
have
defended
the
party
day
and
night,
24
hours
a
day
despite
huge
domestic
problems,
including
my
mother
suffering
from
a
brain
tumour,
and
ultimately
dying
after
suffering
for
3
long
years,
during
which
I
not
only
served
as
her
principal
caregiver,
but
also
constantly
travelled
to
Delhi
to
serve
as
party
spokesperson,
without
even
being
a
MP.
My
sacrifices,
more
importantly
the
sacrifices
made
by
my
family,
my
parents,
and
husband,
were
all
for
the
cause
of
the
Congress
party.
I
was
given
an
opportunity
to
serve
as
Minister
for
just
over
two
years,
but
served
the
party
day
and
night,
for
the
last
30
odd
years.
Throughout,
there
has
never
been
a
blemish
upon
my
reputation.
In
fact
apart
from
hundreds
of
others,
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
and
you
have
several
times
praised
me
for
my
work
as
spokesperson
for
the
party.
I
only
mentioned
this
to
point
out
my
track
record
was
perfect,
and
in
ten
long
years
I
have
not
made
even
one
mistake
as
spokesperson.
It
was
therefore
clearly
a
deliberate
decision
to
remove
me
from
the
list
of
spokespersons,
and
for
reasons
which
are
still
unknown
to
me.
I also feel that I have been pressurised and used to lead issues which I considered wrong. An instance: While I was still a Minister, an important matter which has caused me great agitation is the fact that I was called upon to attack the present Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on what is referred to in the media as ‘Snoopgate.'
Was forced to attack PM Modi on 'snoopgate', says Natarajan in her explosive letter
Despite
the
fact
that
I
initially
refused,
because
I
thought
that
the
party
should
attack
Shri
Modi
on
policy
and
governance
and
not
drag
an
unknown
woman
into
a
controversy,
Shri
Ajay
Maken
telephoned
me
on
November
16,
2013,
while
I
was
on
tour
and
asked
me
to
come
to
Delhi
immediately
to
address
a
press
conference
on
the
issue.
I
expressed
my
disinclination
to
do
this,
and
refused
the
assignment,
mentioning
that
I
was
a
Minister
at
that
time,
and
this
should
not
be
taken
as
the
point
of
view
of
Government.
I
suggested
perhaps
an
Official
Spokesperson
should
do
the
Press
Conference,
if
so
desired.
Shri
Maken
told
me
once
again,
that
this
was
a
decision
taken
at
"the
highest
level"
and
that
I
had
no
choice
in
the
matter.
After
the
press
conference
throughout
the
controversy
which
followed
I
was
told
by
Shri
Maken
to
fiercely
attack
Shri
Modi,
on
TV
channels
and
during
debates,
although
I
was
otherwise
never
fielded
in
the
media
after
appointment
as
Minister.
During
my
tenure
as
Minister,
it
was
the
clear
and
specific
policy
of
the
party,
to
take
all
steps
to
protect
the
environment,
and
carry
forward
the
legacy
of
Smt.
Indira
Gandhi
and
Shri
Rajiv
Gandhi,
to
preserve
the
environment,
and
keep
a
balance
between
environment
and
industry.
As
Chairperson
NAC,
you
have
written
several
letters
to
me
regarding
projects
in
the
Environment
Ministry,
and
protection
of
tribal
rights,
and
I
have
always
kept
you
briefed
that
due
care
was
being
taken
by
me
to
protect
the
environment.
I
received
specific
requests
[which
used
to
be
directives
for
us]
from
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
and
his
office
forwarding
environmental
concerns
in
some
important
areas
and
I
took
care
to
honour
those
"requests."
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
went
in
person
to
Niyamgiri
Hills
in
Odisha,
and
publicly
declared
to
the
Dongria
Kondh
tribals
that
he
would
be
their
"sipahi"
and
would
not
allow
their
interests
to
suffer
at
the
hands
of
mining
giant
Vedanta.
His
views
in
the
matter
were
conveyed
to
me
by
his
office,
and
I
took
great
care
to
ensure
that
the
interests
of
the
tribals
were
protected
and
rejected
environmental
clearance
to
Vendanta
despite
tremendous
pressure
from
my
colleagues
in
cabinet,
and
huge
criticism
from
industry
for
what
was
described
as
"stalling"
a
Rs.
30,000
crore
investment
from
Vedanta.
Fortunately,
my
decision
was
upheld
by
the
Supreme
Court.
The
same
happened
in
the
case
of
the
Adani
projects,
where
I
faced
tremendous
criticism
from
within
the
cabinet
and
outside,
for
stalling
investment
at
a
time
when
the
country
was
going
through
a
difficult
time
in
terms
of
the
economy.
The
complaints
of
the
local
fisherfolk
and
NGOs
of
environmental
violations
in
the
Adani
case
were
forwarded
to
me
by
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi's
office,
and
I
was
told
to
liaise
with
Shri
Dipak
Babaria
in
the
matter.
Occasionally,
I
apprised
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
of
steps
I
had
taken,
and
he
responded
positively.
In
fact
you
have
yourself
conveyed
your
concern
in
this
regard
in
letters
written
to
me.
In
several
cases
including
the
stalled
GVK
power
project
regarding
the
Dhari
Devi
temple
in
Himachal
Pradesh,
the
Lavasa
project
in
Maharashtra,
the
Nirma
cement
plant
in
Gujarat
and
in
several
other
cases
I
was
given
specific
input,
to
make
my
decision.
Apart
from
this
Shri
Pulok
Chatterji,
Principal
Secretary
to
the
Prime
Minister
was
in
constant
touch
with
me,
and
officers
of
the
Ministry
in
guiding
the
decisions
to
be
taken
by
the
Ministry
at
that
time.
So
in
my
decision
making
I
have
factored
in
the
party
line
despite
all
criticisms
against
me
and
therefore
several
decisions
of
mine
were
expressly
overruled
by
the
Prime
Minister.
My
object
in
pointing
out
the
above
to
you
is
to
bring
to
your
notice
that,
in
several
cases
the
party
high
command
had
very
strong
views
regarding
environmental
violations.
This
was
the
reason
that
I
repeatedly
challenged
my
colleagues
in
cabinet,
thus
bringing
down
upon
my
own
head
the
anger
and
wrath
of
the
entire
cabinet,
and
also
the
entire
corporate
world.
Still,
I
soldiered
on
doing
my
duty.
This
is
the
reason
why
I
am
so
stunned
and
shocked
that
in
the
end,
I
was
removed
as
Minister
just
100
days
before
elections
although
I
had
committed
no
wrong
doing,
and
none
was
pointed
out
to
me,
in
fact
the
then
Prime
Minister
praised
my
work,
while
accepting
my
resignation.
Thereafter,
although
I
repeatedly
sought
clarification,
as
to
what
wrong
doing
I
was
guilty
of
to
have
been
so
brutally
humiliated,
and
further
humiliated
by
being
removed
as
Spokesperson,
no
answer
was
given
to
me.
Despite
my
repeated
attempts
to
meet
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
and
you,
no
appointment
was
given
to
me.
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh,
and
you,
both
assured
me
at
the
time
of
making
me
resign
that
my
services
were
required
for
party
work.
No
other
explanation
has
been
given
to
me
till
date.
After
my
removal
as
Minister,
there
was
widespread
news
coverage
in
the
Kerala
media
that
my
removal
was
because
I
had
notified
the
order
on
protection
of
the
Western
Ghats,
the
Kasturirangan
Committee
report,
on
December
19,
2013,
(just
one
day
before
my
removal)
which
had
been
bitterly
opposed
some
sections
of
society
in
Kerala,
who
felt
that
this
order
would
adversely
affect
their
economic
interests,
and
had
expressed
their
opposition
to
the
Prime
Minister
and
to
you.
Nevertheless,
in
the
interest
of
protecting
the
environment,
and
pursuant
to
orders
of
court,
I
took
that
important
decision.
My
successor
Shri
Moily,
put
my
orders
on
hold.
A
few
days
before
I
was
removed
as
Minister,
I
needed
to
review
the
Adani
file
for
some
legal
issues.
When
I
sent
for
the
file,
I
was
told
that
it
was
"missing."
After
considerable
search,
my
officials
"found"
it,
apparently
in
the
washroom
of
the
computer
section,
the
very
day
on
which
I
had
been
asking
to
resign.
Clearly
some
officials
in
my
then
Ministry
did
not
want
to
send
that
file
back
to
me,
for
unknown
reasons.
Surely
you
were
aware
that
removing
a
Minister
just
one
hundred
days
before
Lok
Sabha
elections
without
any
wrongdoing
being
even
alleged
against
her,
and
on
the
contrary,
the
Prime
Minister
lauding
my
work
in
writing,
would
have
devastating
effects
upon
me,
my
career,
everything
I
have
worked
for
over
30
years,
and
above
all
the
patriotic
legacy
of
my
family?
Yet
this
was
done
to
me.
I
am
a
mere
cog
in
the
wheel,
a
helpless
loyal
Congress
worker.
Just
as
could
be
predicted,
my
reputation,
my
career
and
my
life
now
lie
in
shreds
around
me.
And
I
have
committed
no
wrong.
Significantly,
if
indeed
I
had
been
guilty
of
wrongdoing,
I
would
have
been
happy
to
have
been
given
a
chance
to
defend
myself,
and
I
would
have
emerged
pure
and
transparent
and
victorious.
This
opportunity
was
not
given
to
me,
I
was
simply
told
I
was
required
for
party
work,
but
not
used
for
it
also
making
me
feel
that
that
was
a
euphemism
to
get
me
to
resign.
Over
the
last
11
months
I
have
undergone
untold
mental
and
physical
agony,
as
a
result
of
this
incident.
I
have
major
health
issues
due
to
my
tension
and
humiliation
over
the
treatment
meted
out
to
me,
and
my
future
looks
bleak.
More
importantly,
I
need
to
save
the
legacy
of
my
family
or
children
and
my
future
generations
will
not
forgive
me.
You
may
wonder
why
I
write
to
you
now,
which
I
have
decided
to
do
after
4
months
of
prayer
and
contemplation.
I
wish
to
record
that
I
tried
several
times
to
meet
Shri
Rahul
Gandhi
and
you,
but
was
not
given
an
appointment.
During
our
last
meeting,
and
only
meeting
after
my
resignation,
you
instructed
me
to
avoid
the
media.
Until
today
I
have
followed
your
instructions.
Just
two
days
ago,
Shri
Vasan
left
the
Congress
and
formed
his
own
party.
It
was
only
on
the
day
before
Shri
Vasan
left,
that
I
received
my
first
ever
communication
from
AICC
in
the
form
of
a
telephone
call
from
Shri
Motilal
Vora,
who
wanted
to
know
what
my
stand
was
regarding
Shri
Vasan,
and
what
my
future
course
of
action
would
be.
Until
Shri
Vasan
left,
nobody
even
spoke
to
me.
This
was
the
reason
that
people
began
to
speculate
that
I
had
become
a
scapegoat
for
the
economic
problems
of
the
UPA
government.
However,
whatever
is
said
now,
the
damage
to
my
reputation
has
been
complete
and
devastating.
And
future
generations
of
my
family
will
not
forgive
me
if
I
do
not
set
the
record
straight.
I
have
therefore
chosen
this
time
to
write
to
you.
I
am
doing
it
after
four
months
of
prayers
and
contemplation
and
coming
to
the
conclusion
that
I
need
to
write
to
you
the
truth
which
you
know
as
much
as
I
do.
While
there
is
considerable
churning
going
on
in
the
party
now,
my
own
problems
however
are
far
deeper,
and
are
both
in
relation
to
the
party
in
general,
and
how
I
have
been
treated.
Madam,
most
respectfully,
I
request
you
to
kindly
let
me
know
at
least
now,
what
wrongdoing
I
am
alleged
to
have
committed
to
be
subject
to
such
repeated
humiliation.
If
indeed
I
am
alleged
to
have
done
anything
wrong,
I
do
not
understand
the
reason
why
this
was
not
placed
before
me,
and
why
I
was
not
given
an
opportunity
to
defend
myself
for
11
long
months.
I am sure you will understand how important it is for me to protect my reputation and that of my family. Without a single word being said I have been humiliated for 11 months. I would be grateful if you would be so gracious as to at least understand my anguish.
- Jayanthi Natarajan