NEW DELHI -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose not to step into the minefield of words which exploded in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after the Congress Party agreed to a debate the Lalit Modi scandal.
The Monsoon Session concludes today.
In a no holds barred session, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ripped into the Gandhi family's political history, and Congress Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi hit back with a scathing attack on the foreign minister ties with Lalit Modi, the former Indian Premier League commissioner, who is a fugitive from Indian law.
On Wednesday evening, Modi called Swaraj's speech "a must watch."
Swaraj targeted Gandhi, who has called the foreign minister a "criminal," for helping Lalit Modi when he was being investigated for financial irregularities and money laundering by the Indian government.
"I want to say to Rahul Gandhi that you are very fond of taking holidays. You take holidays for two months. On you next break, sit quietly and read your family history," she said. "And then come home and ask Mamma, how much money did we take from Quattrochi, and ask Mamma, why did daddy let Anderson, the killer of 15,000 people, escape?"
"This is called quid pro quo," she said, spelling out the Latin phrase.
While Swaraj reiterated that she helped Lalit Modi on "humanitarian" grounds so that he could visit his wife, who was undergoing cancer treatment in Portugal, Gandhi asked why the foreign minister felt the need to carry out her "humanitarian" work in secrecy.
"Sushma ji is the first humanitarian who does her work in secret," he said.
And then, Gandhi accused Swaraj of having financial ties with Lalit Modi.
"Yesterday, Sushma ji held my hand and said 'beta, why are you angry with me.' And I said, Sushma ji, I'm not angry with you. I respect you. And I looked into your eyes, and said Sushma ji, I'm speaking the truth. And you lowered your eyes. Now the question is why did you this?"
"Now, I'll tell you. Lalit Modi gives your family money. Your family take care of his legal affairs. And at the same time, you help him in the ministry."
Gandhi also said that the prime minister did not have the guts to appear in Lok Sabha and answer questions on the Lalit Modi scandal.
"Gandhi ji used to have three monkeys: don't see bad, don't hear bad, and don't say bad. Modi ji has three new monkeys: don't see the truth, don't hear the truth, and don't speak the truth."
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "The difficulty with Mr. Rahul Gandhi is that he's an expert without any knowledge."
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The Monsoon Session concludes today.
In a no holds barred session, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ripped into the Gandhi family's political history, and Congress Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi hit back with a scathing attack on the foreign minister ties with Lalit Modi, the former Indian Premier League commissioner, who is a fugitive from Indian law.
On Wednesday evening, Modi called Swaraj's speech "a must watch."
A must-watch speech by @SushmaSwaraj ji in Parliament. https://t.co/Lpdg4wKcQf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 12, 2015Swaraj targeted Gandhi, who has called the foreign minister a "criminal," for helping Lalit Modi when he was being investigated for financial irregularities and money laundering by the Indian government.
"I want to say to Rahul Gandhi that you are very fond of taking holidays. You take holidays for two months. On you next break, sit quietly and read your family history," she said. "And then come home and ask Mamma, how much money did we take from Quattrochi, and ask Mamma, why did daddy let Anderson, the killer of 15,000 people, escape?"
"This is called quid pro quo," she said, spelling out the Latin phrase.
While Swaraj reiterated that she helped Lalit Modi on "humanitarian" grounds so that he could visit his wife, who was undergoing cancer treatment in Portugal, Gandhi asked why the foreign minister felt the need to carry out her "humanitarian" work in secrecy.
"Sushma ji is the first humanitarian who does her work in secret," he said.
And then, Gandhi accused Swaraj of having financial ties with Lalit Modi.
"Yesterday, Sushma ji held my hand and said 'beta, why are you angry with me.' And I said, Sushma ji, I'm not angry with you. I respect you. And I looked into your eyes, and said Sushma ji, I'm speaking the truth. And you lowered your eyes. Now the question is why did you this?"
"Now, I'll tell you. Lalit Modi gives your family money. Your family take care of his legal affairs. And at the same time, you help him in the ministry."
Gandhi also said that the prime minister did not have the guts to appear in Lok Sabha and answer questions on the Lalit Modi scandal.
"Gandhi ji used to have three monkeys: don't see bad, don't hear bad, and don't say bad. Modi ji has three new monkeys: don't see the truth, don't hear the truth, and don't speak the truth."
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "The difficulty with Mr. Rahul Gandhi is that he's an expert without any knowledge."
Sharp and pointed speech by Shri @arunjaitley in the Lok Sabha today. https://t.co/tDrqdfeCir
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 12, 2015
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