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Rahul Gandhi must apologise for comment on Sushma Swaraj: Nitin Gadkari

by IBNS 24 Jul 2015, 08:11 am

New Delhi, Jul 24 (IBNS) The ruling BJP on Friday demanded that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi apologise for saying that Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had committed a "criminal act".

"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used the word 'criminal' related with our leader and foreign minister...it is very unfortunate. He has defamed not only the foreign minister but the country. He must apologise or we will have to file a criminal defamation case," Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.


On Thursday, while defending the party's decision to stall the functioning of parliament Gandhi had said: "What we have said is that (there will be) no discussion without resignation. Sushma Swaraj has done a criminal act. He (Lalit Modi) is a fugitive."

The Congress has been adamant in demanding Swaraj's resignation on the ground of her help to tainted cricket tycoon Lalit Modi to get travel documents in Britain.  Mr Modi is wanted in India in corruption cases linked to the Indian Premier League.

The opposition has also been demanding resignation of two other BJP heavyweights- Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for her links with Lalit Modi and that of her Madhya Pradesh counterpart  Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the Vyapam scam.

The government has said it is willing to debate what is being called 'Lalitgate' with the opposition, but has rejected calls for the resignations. 

The standoff between the two sides had led to a stalemate situation in Parliament where proceedings for the first four days of the monsoon session have been marred due an unrelenting battle.