Congress General Secretary C P Joshi questions Jayanti Natarajan's allegation timing

PATNA: Congress General Secretary C P Joshi today trashed former Environment minister Jayanti Natarajan's allegations of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's interference in her ministerial work and attributed it to part of a "misinformation" campaign of the BJP government.

"Why did she get time today only to reveal all these? The timing of the outburst suggests many things," Joshi told reporters at the end of a four-day "Chintan Shivir" of state party unit here.

Questioning the timing of Natarajan's action, Joshi, who was a ministerial colleague of her in UPA ministry, charged it was part of BJP government "misinformation" campaign against Congress.

"Narendra Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate during his campaign used to refer about 'Jayanti tax'...why is she making the allegations now?...It's apparent who is benefitting from it," the Congress General Secretary and a close associate of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said.

Joshi defended Rahul Gandhi and said he never interfered in the ministerial works during UPA rule.

"I remember he had come to my office when I was Surface Transport Minister regarding a road in his parliamentary constituency Amethi," he said.

"During my long inning as minister in UPA, my perception is that Rahul Gandhi never interfered in work of a ministry," Joshi said.