Congress President Sonia Gandhi with vice president Rahul Gandhi outside Parliament. Congress President Sonia Gandhi with vice president Rahul Gandhi outside Parliament.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s family of receiving money from former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

The attack came a day after Swaraj told Lok Sabha that she did not extend any favours to Modi and had only helped his ailing wife on humanitarian grounds.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also reacted to Swaraj’s comments, saying that she was an “expert in theatrics”.

“Whenever there is a robbery, whenever there is stealing, a financial transfer takes place. There has been a financial transfer here as well. Sushmaji’s family — her husband and daughter — has received money from Lalit Modi. She should tell the country exactly how much money Lalit Modi has paid her family to keep himself out of jail,” Rahul said.

He alleged, “Sushmaji said Soniaji would have done the same thing. As a son, I will tell Sushmaji that Soniaji would not have done the same thing. Second thing, whenever some stealing happens, secrecy is maintained by the thief. In this case, Sushmaji has maintained full secrecy. Nobody in the ministry other than Sushma Swaraj knew about this decision. After the decision, the government of the United Kingdom changed their position.”

On Thursday, addressing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Swaraj had said: “I want to ask what would you have done if you were in my place? What would Soniaji have done had she been in my place? Would you have left her (Modi’s wife) to die?”

Sonia responded: “Sushmaji theatrics karne mein maahir hain (Sushma is an expert in theatrics). I would have certainly done my best to help the lady but not by breaking the law.”

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