News

 

Session that began on July 21 witnessed bedlam on each day leading to repeated adjournment of both the houses as the Congress made it apoint not to allow Parliament to function until the resignation  of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her alleged help to the tainted cricket tycoon Lalit Modi. The Congress has also been demanding the resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on the same ground and that of her Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the multi-crore Vyapam scam.

 

The situation prevented Parliament from transacting any business through the entire session forcing key reforms bills to be shelved for the time being.

On Wednesday in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj responded to the Congress' allegations that her move to help  Lalit Modi get urgent travel documents in Britain last year was a "crime."

Turning her defence into a fierce offence against the Congress, Sushma Swaraj  invoked the Bofors scandal that erupted when a Congress government led by Sonia Gandhi's husband Rajiv Gandhi was in power in the 1980s when allegations of kickbacks from the swedish gun maker were raised against him.

The External Affairs Minister also raised allegations that Rajiv Gandhi had helped 1984 Bhopal gas leak accused Warren Anderson, the chief of Union Carbide, leave the country without facing charges, as part of a quid pro quo.

"I did nothing clandestine," the minister declared. "Not a single penny was paid to my daughter for this case," she said, referring to Lalit Modi's successful legal battle to have his Indian passport reinstated last year.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi later hit back Swaraj saying,  "I ask Sushma Swaraj how much money you got for rescuing Lalit Modi.  You must be the only person in the world to help a person on humanitarian grounds in secret."

 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there was no question of Sushma Swaraj resigning. The Congress walked out in protest, saying they would not accept anything but the Prime Minister's response in the house.