Congress' witch-hunt against Maneka inappropriate: RSS

New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) Notwithstanding occasional praises by the RSS leaders about UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the past, the organisation has now openly come out in favour of BJP MP Maneka Gandhi criticising Congress's ''witch-hunt'' against her and its dual behaviour while dealing with its party members and leaders from other parties.

The latest issue of 'Organiser', the RSS mouthpiece, not only runs front page investigation story about the misuse of the CBI targeting Ms Maneka Gandhi but also says that political opponents are harassed while shielding and doling out clean chits to the known acolytes of Ms Sonia Gandhi's family ever since the UPA assumed office.

Taking exception to the CBI filing an FIR against Ms Maneka Gandhi in the disbursal of Rs 54 crore money to the minority institutions from the Maulana Azad Foundation when she was a minister in the NDA government, the issue said it was silly that the CBI had let off ''big sharks'' like Ottavio Quattrocchi to escape with huge Bofors kickback money.

Similarly, it did not track the trail of Volcker money in the oil-for-food scandal or even the fodder scam in Bihar, but had initiated steps to ''witch-hunt Maneka'' for granting a few lakhs to the NGOs when she was the Minister in-charge of Social Justice and Empowerment, the weekly added.

The Volcker probe, the editorial said, had two recipients -- the Congress Party and former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh. But after the probe, only Mr Singh was found guilty and the Congress and its President Sonia Gandhi remained untouched and exonerated by the probe panel.

''Not a leaf moves in Congress without Soniaji's knowledge,'' the issue quoted Mr Singh as saying.

Taking note of the 'shameless attempt' to unseat Samwajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, the editorial said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh, superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and former Defence Minister George Fernandes were all in the Congress firing line while efforts were on to save Election Commissioner Navin Chawla against whom 'umistakable evidences' were produced by several MPs.

First in the list to be saved from the long arm of law was Congress chief's private secretary V George followed by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's son Amit Jogi.

The premier investigation agency CBI was yet to get the nod of the government on filing of a chargesheet against another Congress ally and BSP Chief Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case, the paper said.

The RSS mouthpiece said the most blatant case of the CBI misuse was dropping of Bofors case involving huge amounts of money and the evidences allegedly pointing towards the Congress chief.

Defreezing of Ottavio Quattrocchi's money in his London bank accounts had appalled the whole nation but the Congress high command and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pretended as if nothing had happened.

The Mitrokhin Archives exposures were pushed under the carpet as it involved Sonia Gandhi's family, the paper noted.

Taking a potshot at the UPA for its 'optional nationalism' line on Vande Mataram controversy, the ''organiser'' said national symbols, Hindu religious leaders and pilgrim centres were under systematic attack while terrorists and traitors were having a field day.

''It conversely exposes the reason for the mischievous pattern behind the otherwise inexplicable actions and inactions of the CBI,'' the paper said.

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