The Congress came down heavily on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday, with party president Sonia Gandhi calling her an expert in "theatrics" and vice president Rahul Gandhi demanding to know how much money she got to help Lalit Modi.Sonia Gandhi was reacting to Sushma Swaraj's Thursday comment that she gave no help to the former IPL chief but to his ailing wife. Sushma Swaraj asked: "What would have Sonia Gandhi done had she been in my place?"Sonia Gandhi said: "Sushma Swaraj theatrics me mahir hain (Sushma Swaraj is an expert in doing theatrics)."Rahul Gandhi said his mother would not have done anything like Sushma Swaraj, and asked how much money the minister's family received from Lalit Modi to facilitate the issue of British travel documents to him.
"Sushmaji made a very eloquent but hollow speech. She said Soniaji would have done the same thing. I can tell her as a son, Soniaji would not have helped Lalit Modi," he said.He went on: "After committing a theft, thieves go into hiding. What Sushmaji did she did secretively. Not one person in the (external affairs) ministry know she was going to do this."Whenever there is robbery or theft, a financial transfer takes place. Sushmaji's family, her husband and daughter have received money from Lalit Modi. She should tell the country exactly how much money Lalit Modi has paid to her family," he said in parliament complex.
Friday was the fourth day of Congress protest against the suspension of its 25 members from the Lok Sabha by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been actively leading the protests, which has seen all senior party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, participating.On Friday, Congress members again raised slogans demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the issue.