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Sonia, Rahul Gandhi sharpen attack on Sushma Swaraj

On Friday, the last day of 'dharna' as it was last day of suspension of her MPs, Sonia took on external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who in her defence had asked how Congress president would have tackled humanitarian issue related to illness of Lalit Modi's wife.

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Congress MPs protest against suspension of 25 party members during Monsoon session at Parliament on Friday
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Leading from the front, raising slogans with clenched fists and extorting her MPs, who were demoralised on account of diminished strength in Lok Sabha over past one year, Congress president Sonia Gandhi since past four days has acted like a typical revolutionary. By applying brakes to crucial legislations, she perhaps has succeeded in conveying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, despite a brute majority was not invincible.

Not known to drive from a front seat, an aggressive Sonia has been leading the led 'dharna' every morning, since Tuesday, against the suspension of her 25 MPs. Usually keeping media at an arm's length, she along with her son Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over past four days, also obliged TV channels to their surprise.

On Friday, the last day of 'dharna' as it was last day of suspension of her MPs, Sonia took on external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who in her defence had asked how Congress president would have tackled humanitarian issue related to illness of Lalit Modi's wife. She dismissed Sushma's clarification saying, "Sushmaji theatrics karne main maahir hain." She also ridiculed Sushma for suggesting that she would have also done the same to help Lalit Modi's wife Minal, who is battling cancer. "I would have done my best to help the lady (Modi's wife), but not by breaking the law," she said.

Sonia Gandhi flayed the PM on the Naga peace accord as well. "Nobody has even bothered to brief them (chief ministers) perhaps not in detail, but in a wide sense. After all, our chief ministers are directly affected, be it Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh or Assam. So, what do I take from this? From this I take that this government is arrogant," she said.

As if Sonia's rejection of Sushma Swaraj's apparent alibi in getting British travel documents to Lalit Modi in August last year were not enough, Rahul Gandhi chipped in: "Why was such secrecy maintained by Sushmaji if she was helping him (Lalit Modi) on humanitarian grounds? We want the financial transaction between Lalit Modi and Sushmaji's family to be made public," he said.

Buoyed by the solidarity extended to the Congress dharna in Parliament premises by other opposition parties like the SP, the NCP, the RJD and the JD(U), Rahul also struck a belligerent note, saying that after forcing the government to retreat on the land acquisition bill, there would be no let-up on other demand, like seeking resignations of Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivrajs Singh Chouhan.

Irani taunts Congress
The BJP fielded HRD minister Smriti Irani to retaliate to the Congress leaders' charges. "The Congress party is moving away from discussion and the Lok Sabha because they don't have any proof of the allegations that they are making. It is easy for them to give a byte of one and a half minute than to speak for one and a half hour in Parliament," Irani said.

She also took on the Congress leaders saying "people in this country know that a woman coming from a normal family has to toil hard to make space for herself in the society and its economy. It is generally seen that children of such women also work hard. Congress may have an exception in the Gandhi family where they don't have to sweat it out in the sun to earn their livelihood. I completely reject their charges (against Swaraj)," she said.

The minister also castigated the Youth Congress over their protest outside Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's house, saying the "boys of Congress" removed their shirt and asked if this was the value Rahul wanted Congress to absorb. "As a woman I want to ask this. The Speaker is the honour of Parliament.... Is this the value Rahul Gandhi wants to give to Congress?" .

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