Congress not shielding Tarun Tejpal, law will take its course: Shriprakash Jaiswal

KANPUR: The Congress today trashed BJP's allegations that it was shielding Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague, saying that law will take its course in the matter and the guilty will be punished.

"BJP has run out of issues, this is why they are levelling such baseless allegations. Congress has nothing to do with Tarun Tejpal and if he is guilty, action will be taken against him as per law," Congress leader and Union minister Shriprakash Jaiswal said here today.

He also termed as "baseless", some reports that Tejpal was a relative of a Union minister.

When asked about Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's statement welcoming BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi to the state, Jaiswal said anyone is free to go anywhere in a democratic country.

"Any Chief Minister will give such a reply only," he said. Referring to Sheila Dikshit's reported statement not ruling out a possible alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, Jaiswal accused media of manipulating things.

"Dikshit always maintained that Congress will get a majority in Delhi polls, but she was repeatedly asked about a possible alliance with AAP, on which she said it will be seen on an appropriate time. This was twisted by the media and presented in a way suggesting that Congress was ready for a tie-up with AAP," he said.

"This is why I don't want to say anything on Narendra Modi or Omar Abdullah because who knows, how will you present it," the Union minister added.