In a surcharged and emotive debate that turned personal, the Congress on Wednesday bombarded External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with a volley of questions for allegedly helping former IPl commissioner lalit Modi on “humanitarian” grounds. While leader of the Congress party in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge came out with specific queries, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked her ferociously, asking her to answer how much money lalit Modi paid her and her family to save him.
While coming down heavily on Sushma, the Congress vice-president also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the entire episode. He said the Prime Minister “does not have the guts” to face the House where discussion on the lalit Modi controversy and the alleged role of Swaraj was underway.
Participating in the discussion in the lower House on the adjournment motion on the lalit Modi issue, Rahul asked Swaraj why she had helped the “symbol of black money” on the sly. “IPl is the centre of black money in India and lalit Modi is nothing other than the symbol of black money,” he said.
He said the problem with this Government is that it does not want to see, hear or speak out the truth, “like Mahatma Gandhi’s three monkeys.”
“There are many people who do humanitarian work, but Sushma Swaraj is the first such person who does so silently,” Rahul said taking a sharp dig at her and then went on to say, “I want to ask her only one question, how much money did she and her family receive from lalit Modi.”
How much money has she received to save the symbol of black money and why did she help him on the sly.” Striking out at the Prime Minister (who was not present in the House) over his promise to bring back black money, the Congress leader sought to know when the promised Rs 15 lakh each would be deposited in the bank accounts of all Indians, as the public had reposed faith in Modi.
Rahul also hit out at Modi’s ‘na khaunga, na khaane doonga’ (I will neither take bribe, nor let anyone do so) statement during the lok Sabha campaign in 2014, saying the Prime Minister had not kept his promise and has remained silent on the irregularities committed by his Ministers.
In an aside, Rahul said that Swaraj had met him on Tuesday and holding his hand asked him why he was angry with her. He in turn told her that he was speaking the truth. “Sushma ma’am, you had lowered your eyes when I said I am speaking the truth while looking straight into your eyes,” he said.
Earlier, initiating the discussion on the motion, Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that in his application to the UK authorities for travel documents Modi had listed attending to his wife as third priority after attending a marriage and calling on the President of Portugal as first and second.
Kharge said she did not even inform her Ministry officials and anyone in the Government before assuring the UK authorities that if they gave travel documents to lalit Modi it would not impact India’s relations with that Government.
The Congress leader picked holes in the External Affairs Minister’s defence and raised a host of questions as to why she agreed to help a “fugitive” probed by the Enforcement Directorate.
“You have said that you helped him on humanitarian grounds. If you had to help him on humanitarian grounds, you could have done so legally,” the Congress leader told Swaraj whose resignation is being demanded over the issue. He said Modi could have been asked by the Government to come back and face charges after providing him an interim Indian visa and passport.
Kharge wondered as to why the Government did not appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s decision to restore his passport. He also asked who among the Prime Minister, Finance Ministry or External Affairs Ministry was responsible for not appealing against the order.
He also refused to accept Swaraj’s contention that she had only responded “orally” to the British envoy’s query that bilateral relations will not be affected if lalit Modi was granted travel documents to visit his ailing wife in Portugal. “Is that not a recommendation,” Kharge asked and contended that she did not even speak to her own Ministry officials regarding the issue.
Kharge insisted that Swaraj should resign on the question of propriety. “You have accepted that you helped. Your admission is proof...Therefore, we demand your resignation,” he said.
At one point, a controversial comment from a BJP member against Congress president Sonia Gandhi led to an uproar with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourning the House until 2.45 pm when the discussion resumed again.