'What Would Sonia Gandhi Have Done?' Sushma Swaraj's Lalitgate Defense

New Delhi: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj today told Parliament that she extended no favours for cricket boss Lalit Modi, countering the opposition Congress, which has pledged to disrupt Parliament till she quits office. The only assistance she provided, the minister said, was to Lalit Modi's wife, who is "an Indian citizen and asked for the support of her husband as she travelled to Portugal for treatment for cancer."

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Mrs Swaraj said, "Lalit Modi's wife is innocent, has broken no laws... I want to ask Sonia Gandhi, what would she have done in my place?"

A rhetorical question, not least because like most of the opposition, Mrs Gandhi boycotted the Lok Sabha today.

Last year, Lalit Modi, who left the country in 2010 surrounded by a series of corruption cases, was allowed to accompany his wife from London to a hospital in Portugal. Mrs Swaraj said the only role she played was in informing the UK government that if it chose to give him travel documents, relations with India would not be affected.

Critics say Mrs Swaraj did not disclose her action or involve the Indian High Commission in London of her conversation with UK officials. They also allege a conflict of interest because the minister's husband and daughter have worked as Lalit Modi's lawyers.

"Rather than helping a millionaire's wife, she should aid poor women," said Ranjeet Ranjan of the Congress as a rejoinder to Mrs Swaraj's claim that she helped Lalit Modi's sick wife. The Congress has also objected to Mrs Swaraj making a statement in the House on the controversy when the opposition was missing.

This session of Parliament has been blocked so far by the Congress which says it wants the removal of Mrs Swaraj and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for close links to Lalit Modi. The party also wants the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for a massive job recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh.