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."


Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi added, "As Sonia Gandhi's son, I can say that Sonia-ji would not have done the same thing. Sushma-ji's speech is hollow. She should tell the House how much Lalit Modi has paid her family to keep him out of trouble. Sushma Swaraj maintained full secrecy in the deal. There has been a financial transfer here. Sushma Swaraj's family has received money from Lalit Modi. "


Yesterday, in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj emphasised that she only acted on "humanitarian grounds".

"Lalit Modi's wife faces no criminal case. Why should she be deprived of the support of her husband while being treated for cancer?"

"Lalit Modi's wife is suffering from cancer for the last 17 years and it has recurred 10 times. Did not request or recommend anything to the UK government. There is nothing in the UK home department papers to back it.

"If it is a crime to help a woman like her (a cancer patient), then, yes, I have committed a crime. If you (Speaker) were in my place, what would you have done? If Soniaji was in my place, what would she have done? Would you have left her (Lalit Modi's wife) to die," Swaraj asked reading from the reports of Portuguese doctors and the statement of Lalit Modi's wife.