Par will run if Swaraj discloses money taken from Lalit: Rahul

As the monsoon session of Parliament looked set for a near total washout, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said his party will allow it to run if External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj disclosed how much money her family took from former IPL boss Lalit Modi.
The government, however, dubbed the disruptions in Parliament over the issue as only a "pretext" to stall passage of the GST bill.
"Please explain to the country and the people of India, how much money of Lalit Modi has come into your bank account and that of your family. Please simply disclose this and the House will function," Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress Vice President attacked Swaraj for being "secretly" kind and charitable to Lalit Modi, whom he called a "criminal".
"We also agree that Parliament must function. But, we have raised a basic issue. We have said, and I have said it three times, Sushma Swaraj ji, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh have carried out in some cases illegal acts. In Madhya Pradesh there are murders happening and our Prime Minister does not feel it necessary to comment on them.
"He praises the Chief Ministers. He completely ignores the fact that the future of thousands of people in Madhya Pradesh has been destroyed by his Chief Minister. He completely ignores the fact that there is a business relationship between a criminal and his Chief Minister of Rajasthan," Rahul said as the logjam in Parliament continued over protests by Congress.

At a rally in Gaya yesterday, Modi had said Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have come out of BIMARU category under BJP Chief Ministers and were moving fast on the path of development.

With disruptions rocking Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul for stalling the proceedings.
He attacked Congress' top leadership for its "stubbornness" and alleged that they wanted India's growth story to suffer by obstructing the GST bill's passage.
"The assessment in the government is that there are not many in even Congress pushing this logic that House should not run. Only their top two leaders... Have been stubborn on it. (They say) Parliament should not function, legislations should not be passed. If there is harm to the country, to the system let it be," the Leader of the Rajya Sabha told reporters.

Jaitley said Congress was "completely isolated" on the GST bill and "its best endeavour is that since it won't be able to stop the GST it is definitely trying to delay."
Asked about Rahul Gandhi's charge that Lalit Modi had paid money to Swaraj's family and that she should disclose the transactions, Jaitley said anybody can make such "unfounded" allegations.