PM Getting ‘Scared’, Will put Pressure for Bringing Back Lalit Modi: Rahul

With the entire Monsoon Session of Parliament going waste due to continued protests by the opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday compared the the behaviour of the Congress with that during the emergency days.

But the Congress diluted its line by agreeing to have a discussion first under an adjournment motion after realising that neither Ms Swaraj nor chief minister Vasundhara Raje would be sacked by the BJP under pressure from the Opposition.

Talking to media persons here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi took digs at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over government’s efforts to push the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, noting that the legislation was “stalled during the previous United Progressive Alliance government”.

The minister hit out at the Congress over its allegations on her conflict of interest.

Jaitley also took a swipe at Rahul over the questions raised about Sushma’s daughter who was one of the lawyers of Lalit.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday attributed the mysterious escape of Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson from India after the December 2, 1984 gas tragedy in his chemical factory in Bhopal to a quid-pro-quo by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to secure freedom to his childhood friend jailed in the U.S. for 35 years.

Sushma Swaraj who gave her side of version on Lalit Modi row said she was not guilty. Without an issue which is an arguable issue, you hold up Parliament, you waste the whole Session and the real reason is that you ran a failed Government.

“They should worry about those things and not worry about me, because I haven’t done anything”, he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress’s attitude reflected a kind of “hatred… never seen by the country so far”.

The bitter exchange of barbs between Swaraj and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reminded of the chaos in Parliament during the UPA regime over scams, which added to the policy paralysis.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi can take some time off to ponder on whether their decision in getting Congress to punch above its weight on the Lalitgate issue, that too without adequate homework, will hurt the party. I thought it would be a tough fight.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad supported Yadav and said: “We discuss everyday the comments being made about MPs”.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has convened the meeting in the morning today.