According to Khabar Online’s political correspondent, Mottahari, a prominent member of culture commission of Iran's parliament who was speaking at a news conference in Majlis stated: “Three lawmakers who had already signed the petition have withdrawn their signature in Majlis by now, but six others have joined the questioning lawmakers, so I suppose the process will be carried on.”
In the meantime, the head of the minority fraction of the Majlis Gholam Hossein Haddad Adel, a former advocate of Ahmadinejad spoke on the decision made by the members of the fraction to withdraw from the questioning plan: “We experienced such plan in the eight Majlis and saw that was not successful. Ae hope the questioning plan will be revoked.”
“Mr. Mottahari expressed his own view and our fraction has its own view. He is not a member of our fraction,” the former Majlis Speaker went on to say.
Nowadays Ahmadinejad is under attack by several lawmakers and officials who believe his economic mismanagement is the main reason behind the ongoing currency crisis which is hitting the country rather than economic sanctions the West imposed on the Iran for its nuclear program.
It's not the first time that Ahmadinejad's performance is determinedly censured. Earlier in March Mottahari who has been a leading critic of Ahmadinejad’s government in recent years and his allies in the parliament implemented a questioning plan and summoned Ahmadinejad to the floor of Majlis.
At that time, the criticisms made against the administration included violating 50 articles of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution, rapid implementation of subsidy reform plan which cut energy and food subsidies and compensating them with paying direct cash to people. The subsidy reform plan heightened the inflation rate and hiked up prices which pressed the poor and the middle class.
Other issues included delay in allocating funds to the Metro of Tehran, measures adopted by the government in putting the ratified cultural plans into practice and above all, the resistance of Ahmadinejad against a decree of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei which reinstated Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi.
However, Ahmadinejad’s language in response to the lawmakers’ questions was imbued with sarcasm and joking which provoked the anger of the parliamentarians. Such insolence caused the lawmakers to condemn his remarks harshly.
Accompanied by eight cabinet members, Ahmadinejad’s final words addressing the MPs, included: “It was not a very difficult question and answer session. I suppose, those who designed the questions were among those who have received their master's degrees by just pushing a button. If you had asked for my consultation, better questions could have been provided."
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