In an interview with Times Now, Jaitley said Congress deserved a rap on its knuckles for targeting Modi over his child marriage that had never been acted on and said the ruling party needed to be reminded that it has several skeletons in the cupboard.
Speaking on Priyanka Gandhi's response to attacks on her husband Robert Vadra, Jaitley said, "She made a statement saying it hurts me when my husband is attacked, it hurts my children" but had forgotten that Rahul Gandhi took up Modi's marriage.
"I politely reminded her that I agree with you that personal attacks should be avoided. Corruption is not a private matter, it's a public issue, but then, is your party and your family willing to listen to you? Your brother took up the issue of snoopgate, he took up the issue of Modi's marriage ... What applies for the goose, applies for the gander," Jaitley said.
Admitting a link between the Vadra issue and Rahul picking on Modi's marriage, Jaitley said, "I would like to explain you the link. I have as a rule never spoken to a person, I speak on issues. I have breached that rule twice myself. The first time I breached it when Rahul Gandhi took up the issue of so called child marriage of Mr Modi. I reminded him that this is a legitimate child marriage which is on paper, he's disclosed the truth."
Congress did not come out with a formal response to Jaitley's remarks though former MP Rashid Alvi said that Jaitley should name the leaders he was threatening to expose. Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said Jaitley had become "nervous" in the course of his contesting the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar.
Asked why he raked up Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin with his comment "main nahi mom", in response to Captain Amarinder Singh calling him an outsider to Amritsar, Jaitley said, "Have we lost our sense of humour?"
Jaitley then added, "Rahul Gandhi led the campaign with the slogan 'main nahi hum', and then all of you (TV channels) did programmes ... In the intensity of political campaign there is place for humour. I did not refer to her (Sonia's) foreign origins."
Asked if there was, at any point, an understanding between BJP and Congress that the saffron party won't question Vadra and Congress would reciprocate, Jaitley said, "I have personally raised the issue of Vadra. I have even raised it in the past. I have spoken about it in a few interviews where I have been asked."
On industrialist Gautam Adani's proximity to Modi, the BJP leader said, "On the Adani issue, I would like to understand that a businessman does well for the past 20-30 years, you suddenly invent an Adani because you have nothing against the BJP and Narendra Modi. Does the BJP have anything to do with Mr Adani? Mr Adani has the best friends in the NCP and the Congress as far as I am concerned."
On BJP leader Giriraj Singh's provocative remark that those who oppose Modi should go to Pakistan, Jaitley said, "Giriraj should have never made a comment of this kind, because there is no place and I am glad Modi openly said that there's no place for such a remark. Vote against Modi and you will still be a very patriotic Indian as far as I am concerned."
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