NEW DELHI: Taking a swipe at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over cancellation of a proposed food park in Amethi, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said the constituency had a "powerful" MP who had even tore papers of the then Prime Minister.
The apparent reference was to Gandhi tearing in public the ordinance issued by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led UPA government to negate a Supreme Court order that had disqualified convicted MPs and MLAs. The incident happened in September 2013 when Singh was overseas.
Kaur's remarks in the Lok Sabha today came while she was replying to a supplementary question relating to the setting up of food parks in Uttar Pradesh.
"Everyone knows about Amethi constituency. It is such a constituency where the Parliament member even had powers to tear the papers of the Prime Minister," Kaur said during Question Hour, adding that "despite such powers, he could not arrange the land for this food park in the last four years".
Talking about the proposed food park in Gandhi's Amethi constituency, the Food Processing Industries Minister said the Congress had raised fingers at the government for the cancellation even though the proposed developer had itself expressed unwillingness in 2013.
Kaur's speech was received with applause by BJP MPs, as the Congress members continued to raise vociferous slogans against the government.
The issue of Amethi food park cancellation had raised a lot of heat in the last Parliament session. Shaktiman Mega Food Park was to set up the food park in Amethi.
"The in-principle approval accorded to the project was cancelled due to the inability of the promoter to meet the condition of possession of 50 acres contiguous land in the name of the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle)," Kaur said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha about the project.
Coming down heavily on the Congress, Kaur said those who have harmed the livelihood of farmers are now talking about their welfare. "It is a politics of lies", she added.
"They are talking about Vyapam, about farmers but they want to take revenge on the people of this country who ousted them," she said.
The Minister said former Oil Minister Veerappa Moily had rejected the developer's proposal for supply of cheap gas to the proposed food park.
In February 2013, officials of Shaktiman Mega Food Park had informed that they cannot set up the food park but then in October 2013, months before the general election, foundation stone was laid for the project, Kaur noted.