Both Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje have been accused of helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi acquire travel documents from the British government since his Indian passport was revoked.
Rejecting the government offer of a discussion on the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said: “This government is thick-skinned and think they are not accountable. Both houses of parliament will function only after there is accountability.” “If the prime minister and his government think they can brazen it out, they are wrong and the coming events will prove it,” he said.
The government, led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, accused the Congress of not being keen on a debate over its allegations about BJP leaders’ links with Lalit Modi as the first day of the monsoon session of parliament saw several adjournments on the issue in the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha, however, adjourned for the day after obituary references. Asked about the BJP’s attacks on the Congress for being an “irresponsible” opposition, Sharma said the BJP, and especially Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, were suffering from collective loss of memory and the prime minister was on a fast of silence.
I am ready for debate in Parliament: Sushma
A combative External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said she was ready for a debate in Parliament over Congress allegations about her links with controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi. "I am ready for a debate today itself. I asked Arun Jaitley to convey this to Rajya Sabha," the minister said in a tweet. "Arun Jaitley has conveyed this to the House. We are looking forward to the Opposition's response," she added. The Finance Minister had earlier said the govt was prepared for a debate. The Congress raised the Lalit Modi controversy in the Rajya Sabha and demanded a discussion on the issue.
RS adopts motion to withdraw bill on cheque bounce
Rajya Sabha on Tuesday adopted a motion to withdraw a bill on which an ordinance was issued last month to enable lakhs of persons file cheque bounce cases in the place where the cheque was presented for payment and not the place of issue. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the motion for withdrawal of the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 for further amending it, amid ruckus in the House over the Lalit Modi controversy. The motion was adopted by a voice vote. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on May 13 this year and was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on the same day. On June 10, the Union Cabinet cleared an ordinance to further amend the Negotiable Instruments Act to enable filing of cheque bounce cases in the place where the cheque was presented for clearance or payment and not the place of issue. There are an estimated 18 lakh people facing cheque bounce cases across the country. The ordinance was necessitated as a bill to help the litigant in a cheque bounce case was passed by Lok Sabha in earlier this year but it could not go through the other House.