Sushma 'misquoted' Sonia's speech: Congress

Congress on accused senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushama Swaraj of "misleading" the people and "misquoting" the November 4 speech of Sonia Gandhi during the debate on FDI in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Party spokesperson Rashid Alvi also dismissed the allegation of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley that the government did not want to run the Rajya Sabha because of its number game.

"She (Swaraj) neither read nor understood the November 4 speech delivered by the Congress President at Ramlila Ground and acted in line with BJP's tendency to mislead the people and the nation.

"Without understanding it, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said a number of things quoting Gandhi, which has no connection with truth," party spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters.

Swaraj had in Lok Sabha targetted Gandhi on her statement that the fastest pace of development has been witnessed by UPA-II government.

"Except for seven years, there had been Congress governments between 1952 and 2012...were you challenging the government headed by your mother-in-law (Indira Gandhi) or the one headed by your husband (Rajiv Gandhi)," Swaraj had posed.

"Who were you referring to"? Swaraj had asked.  Gandhi shot back saying she was referring to "you" (BJP).

Alvi sought to rebut the BJP leader's contentions noting that Gandhi in her speech was asking from BJP on whether they ever ran a government which took so many "revolutionary" steps in such a short time for the development of both rural and urban areas like the UPA did.

"She has not read Gandhi's speech and absolutely wrong meanings were derived from what the Congress President had said. BJP and its leaders should comment only after reading something properly and stop misquoting," he said.

The Congress spokesperson also rejected the contention of Jaitley who strongly objected to disruptions in Rajya Sabha by UPA allies SP and BSP saying the government did not want to run the Upper House.

"The allegations of the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha are totally baseless. We want the Rajya Sabha to run. The motion (to discuss FDI) has been admitted there, he said.

Allies BSP and SP supporting UPA from outside on Wednesday created repeated obstructions in Rajya Sabha, prompting an angry BJP to allege that the government has decided not to run the House because of its "number game".

Jaitley also demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is the Leader of the House, come and clarify whether the government wanted to run the House or not.

Alvi, however, said Congress is not to be held responsible for the disruptions in the House.

Pointed out that members from Congress were seen countering Samajwadi Party's opposition to quota in promotion for SC/ST in government jobs in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress spokesperson said "we are in favour of this. We want that the SC/ST Quota in promotion in government jobs should happen".

He also attacked the Opposition for opposing FDI in retail just for the sake of opposing it.

"The arguments given by them have no facts. As an attempt was made to mislead people on Sonia Gandhi's speech, similarly attempts are being made to mislead people on FDI.

BJP is in the habit of doing negative politics, a politics to mislead people," Alvi said.