On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj fired on opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge in Lok Sabha, about Lalit Modi controversy.
Sushma Swaraj openly criticized saying that, it is Congress and Gandhi family, who are indulged in quid pro quo. Directing her attack at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Sushma said that, since the Gandhi scion “likes going on leaves, he should go on one and read about the history of his family”.
Sushma even tried to create humor in the parliament saying, “Rahul Gandhi ji should go to her mother and ask - Mumma, papa ne Quattrocchi ko kyun chhoda? Mumma, papa ne Anderson ko kyun chhoda?”
"We never did anything secretly, the Congress secretly facilitated Quattrocchi's exit," said Swaraj.
Sushma did not spare Chidambaram too
"When Chidambaram was the Finance Minister, his wife Nalini Chidambaram was appointed a lawyer by the Income Tax department, which is a clear case of conflict of interest. When the issue came up in Parliament, Chidambaram claimed ignorance on the appointment of his wife, and said that he wouldn’t have let it happen had he known about the same." Sushma added.
“Congress government failed in bringing back former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi. It was under the UPA government that Lalit Modi got UK stay permit and the government did not even file an extradition request, in fact it was under the UPA government, Lalit Modi got UK stay permit and the government did not even file an extradition request," she said.
Mallikarjun Kharge counter attacks Sushma Swaraj
Mallikarjun Kharge denied all the comments made by Sushma Swaraj and made a counter attack taking out the below points.
“Sushma is feeling that she is the only humanitarian minister and that might be the reason for her to take the issue adding the tag “humanitarian grounds”. However if it is on humanitarian grounds, she should have insisted on him returning to India after meeting his wife,” Kharge said.
Sushma Swaraj did not even consult the officials of her ministry and Indian High Commission in UK on the issue of Lalit Modi’s travel papers.
Sushma and British MP Keith Vaz had verbal communication in proof and so there is no record for the same, countering her claims on Congress saying that, the latter has no proofs or records of their allegations.
Sushma herself accepted that she spoke to Vaz for Lalit Modi’s travel papers. That itself is a proof and so she has no right to claim that there are not records.
Rahul’s question to Sushma Swaraj
Rahul questioned that whether, Sushma really consulted Prime Minister Modi, before contacting Lalit Modi and as of now, the same fight is going on in the parliament.
By Phani
