Palace coup in Congress: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hit out at Congress saying Rahul Gandhi's "contrived aggression" in Lok Sabha was a compulsion as the party leadership was facing a "palace coup" within.

Hours after Rahul Gandhi stormed the well of the House on the issue of communal violence and later alleged that the government was not allowing discussion, the BJP leader said he was making an issue out of a non-issue.

"The reason is very clear. Today a section of the leadership of the Congress party, because if its inability to lead, has been under pressure. They have been facing a palace coup. It's a coup within their own party," he said.

Jaitley was apparently referring to demands from some Congressmen urging Priyanka Gandhi to play an active role in the party but he parried questions whether he was referring to Rahul.

The Finance Minister also had a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying his charge was surprising because "some leaders don't speak at all in the House and then say we are not allowed to speak".

Referring to Rahul's charge that they are not being allowed to speak in the House, he said the Congress party has been participating in every discussions. "At times they have disturbed the House and not allowed to go on. There is not a single instance where they are not being allowed to raise issues".

Day after day, Jaitley said, established leaders of the party were speaking in the House. "It's an internal compulsion within the party. For that, you need not drag the House or Presiding officer into the debate," he said.

The Minister said if Rahul Gandhi wanted to show as doing something, it would be better if he led his own party rather than develop a contrived aggression against functioning of the House which otherwise has been functioning well.

"I think it is time for the party to introspect within itself. Questions are being raised about the competence of the leadership. It (scenes in Parliament) is just to show their leaders that they are also capable of aggression," he said.