Sushma's family received money from Lalit: Rahul

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's family has "received money" from former IPL chairman Lalit Modi.

"Whenever there is a robbery or stealing, a financial transfer takes place. There has been a financial transfer here as well. Sushma's family 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," Gandhi said outside parliament.

Sushma Swaraj on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that she did not recommend to the British government to give travel documents to former IPL chief Lalit Modi. She also said the allegations against her of recommending travel documents for Lalit Modi were "wrong and baseless".

The minister had also questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi what she would have done had she been in her place.

Rahul Gandhi said: "As Sonia Gandhi's son I can say she would not have done the same thing. Whenever there is some stealing happens, secrecy is maintained by the thief. In this case, Sushma has maintained full secrecy. Nobody in the ministry other than Sushma Swaraj knew about this decision. After this decision, government of the United Kingdom changed their position."

Congress president Sonia Gandhi reacts to External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in Parliament yesterday where she said had only helped Lalit Modi's wife as a humanitarian gesture.

Sonia, who is at the helm of Congress protests outside Parliament reacted to the foreign minister's statement, saying, "Sushma Swaraj is an expert in theatrics. In Sushma-jis place I'd have helped, but not broken the law."

HRD Minister Smriti Irani said: "It's easy for Sonia-ji to give a byte, not easy for her to give a speech without reading it out from a paper."

Irani sneered at Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, saying they are "not used to working in the sun to earn money," unlike Sushma, who, she said, had worked hard to earn a living.

She criticised the Congress over its youth activists' conduct during a protest against Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, questioning their value system.

"Boys from the Congress took off their shirts and protested against the speaker. Lok Sabha Speaker is parliament's pride. Is this the respect the Congress has for women? Is this what Rahul Gandhi preaches to the Congress?" Irani said on Friday.

"Is this their (Congress) culture? What message are they giving," she asked.