The Congress on Sunday hit back at the BJP for “protecting its corrupt leaders and Ministers” and slammed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her silence on key defence controversies, including the Rafale deal. It said the Income Tax Department was a “caged bird” of the BJP-led government and action against senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram over a disproportionate assets case was “politically motivated”. (IANS)