'I have done no wrong,' says Sushma Swaraj amid sloganeering by Opposition in Lok Sabha
New Delhi: A feisty External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday trained her guns on the Congress Party, to explain and justify the past alleged misdemeanours of the Gandhi family and the party before her being targetted on Lalitgate. Ignoring the ruckus caused by the opposition, she forcefully stressed her innocence and added that she had done nothing wrong.
"I once again say that I have done nothing wrong. Mallikarjun said I admitted my fault, Honourable Speaker, what I said was that if helping a woman suffering from cancer, who is an Indian citizen, is a fault, then I accept my fault. Does Mallikarjun Kharge ji consider it as admission of guilt?" Sushma said amid raucous sloganeering by the opposition.
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Swaraj also targeted Rahul, who took a two-month sabbatical during the Budget Session this year. "Since you like holidaying so much, next time you take a break, I suggest you read up on your family history, read all the kale karname (wrong deeds) and ask, 'mumma, how much money did we make in the Quattrocchi case, why did we let (1984 Bhopal gas tragedy accused) Warren Anderson go? Why the quid pro quo?'"
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Reacting to allegations that her family members were beneficiaries of the former IPL chief, the External Affairs Minister stated that there was no conflict of interest in her case as her husband and daughter had not taken a single penny from Lalit Modi. "There's no conflict of interest in my case. My husband and daughter have not taken a single penny from Lalit Modi," she said. Sushma's husband and daughter are lawyers.
"P. Chidambaram was the Finance Minister when Income Tax department appointed Chidambaram's wife Nalini Chidambaram as his counsel. This is conflict of interest. While P. Chidambaram was Finance Minister, Nalini Chidambaram took Rs 1 crore fee from Saradha Group," said Sushma.
Earlier, Kharge had asked Swaraj to step down from her post on moral grounds. "The Prime Minister who always said that he 'Na Khaunga na khaane dunga' is now saying 'keep eating and I will watch'," said Kharge.
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"Sushma Swaraj ji must resign on moral grounds and for direct or indirect involvement," he added.
"If you had to help on humanitarian ground, you could have done that within the ambit of the law," said Kharge. "Is it not recommendation when you say that it won't affect the relationship between India and the UK?" he asked.
A furious Sonia Gandhi had joined other Congress leaders as they gathered around Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's chair in loud protests that led to an adjournment.
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Kharge also raised Vasundhara Raje's name during discussion on Lalitgate. The senior Congress leader also appealed to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the discussion.
"Today, we want the Prime Minister to listen to us, only then would we be assured that he would take any action," said Kharge.
Swaraj had earlier insisted that she had made "no request or recommendation" to the UK Government for former IPL chief Lalit Modi's travel documents but had left the decision to Britain.
She also said that she had not helped Lalit Modi, but his cancer-stricken wife.
