NEW DELHI -- A day after Rahul Gandhi described External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as a "criminal" for her involvement in the Lalit Modi scandal, the central government has hit back by demanding an apology or threatening to file a defamation suit against the Congress Party vice president.
Describing Gandhi's words as "unfortunate and undemocratic," Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "I am demanding that Rahul Gandhi make an apology to the country because he is not only defaming Sushma Swaraj, he is defaming the foreign ministry of the country."
Gadkari said that Swaraj had not violated any law or the constitution, and she was not embroiled in any corruption or illegal activity.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu criticised Gandhi's remarks as "immature."
On Wednesday, Gandhi described Swaraj as a "criminal," who had helped fugitive Lalit Modi to procure travel documents from the British authorities, last year, while he was being investigated by the Indian government for financial irregularities and money laundering in connection with the IPL cricket tournament.
"Sushma ji has done a criminal act. She is a minister of the government and the whole country knows she has done a criminal act," Gandhi told the media. "If you do a criminal act, you go to jail."
Since Tuesday, the Congress Party has blocked parliament from functioning while demanding the resignations of Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is also embroiled in the Lalit Modi scandal, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam.
Swaraj has admitted to helping Lalit Modi on "humanitarian grounds" so that he could visit his wife while she was undergoing treatment for cancer in Lisbon, but the foreign minister bypassed established procedures to handles requests from fugitives. The cricket-magnate has also said that Swaraj's husband and daughter have provided him free legal services for several years, and he has "close" relations with their family.
Meanwhile, Raje backed Lalit Modi's application in 2011, when she was Leader of the Opposition, on the condition that her support would be hidden from the Indian government.
Vyapam is a massive scam which involves politicians and government officials allowing impostors to take exams for government jobs in Madhya Pradesh, and manipulating exam results, in exchange of vast sums of money. Several people connected with scam have died in mysterious circumstances since 2010.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party has offered a discussion on these controversies, the Opposition has demanded resignations before entering into any debate.
The BJP has also retaliated by highlighting corruption cases involving Congress leaders. This week, they accused the Uttarkhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat of a liquor scam during the 2013 floods in the state, and the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of tax fraud.
But the opposition remains unmoved. "There should be action, action means resignation and then discussion," Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said on Friday.
"We want a discussion on the actions taken by PM for the people involved," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Around five minutes after Lok Sabha convened today, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the lower house till Monday as the opposition continued its call for resignations.
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Describing Gandhi's words as "unfortunate and undemocratic," Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "I am demanding that Rahul Gandhi make an apology to the country because he is not only defaming Sushma Swaraj, he is defaming the foreign ministry of the country."
Gadkari said that Swaraj had not violated any law or the constitution, and she was not embroiled in any corruption or illegal activity.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu criticised Gandhi's remarks as "immature."
On Wednesday, Gandhi described Swaraj as a "criminal," who had helped fugitive Lalit Modi to procure travel documents from the British authorities, last year, while he was being investigated by the Indian government for financial irregularities and money laundering in connection with the IPL cricket tournament.
"Sushma ji has done a criminal act. She is a minister of the government and the whole country knows she has done a criminal act," Gandhi told the media. "If you do a criminal act, you go to jail."
Since Tuesday, the Congress Party has blocked parliament from functioning while demanding the resignations of Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is also embroiled in the Lalit Modi scandal, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam.
Swaraj has admitted to helping Lalit Modi on "humanitarian grounds" so that he could visit his wife while she was undergoing treatment for cancer in Lisbon, but the foreign minister bypassed established procedures to handles requests from fugitives. The cricket-magnate has also said that Swaraj's husband and daughter have provided him free legal services for several years, and he has "close" relations with their family.
Meanwhile, Raje backed Lalit Modi's application in 2011, when she was Leader of the Opposition, on the condition that her support would be hidden from the Indian government.
Vyapam is a massive scam which involves politicians and government officials allowing impostors to take exams for government jobs in Madhya Pradesh, and manipulating exam results, in exchange of vast sums of money. Several people connected with scam have died in mysterious circumstances since 2010.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party has offered a discussion on these controversies, the Opposition has demanded resignations before entering into any debate.
The BJP has also retaliated by highlighting corruption cases involving Congress leaders. This week, they accused the Uttarkhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat of a liquor scam during the 2013 floods in the state, and the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of tax fraud.
We have already said we are ready for debate but opposition is running away from it-Rajnath Singh pic.twitter.com/JGByRFgB2k
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 24, 2015But the opposition remains unmoved. "There should be action, action means resignation and then discussion," Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said on Friday.
"We want a discussion on the actions taken by PM for the people involved," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
PM is travelling the world giving speeches but in India he is not able to even utter a word-Raj Babbar,Congress pic.twitter.com/LiGXqLqenf
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 24, 2015Around five minutes after Lok Sabha convened today, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the lower house till Monday as the opposition continued its call for resignations.
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