BJP threatens to sue Rahul

Congress leader had termed Lalitgate Sushma’s criminal act

Describing Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Union minister Sushma Swaraj as “immature politics”, the BJP on Friday demanded that he either apologise or a criminal defamation case would be filed against him.

The party maintained that Congress leaders not only defamed Ms Swaraj but defamed the “foreign minister of the country, who is the representative of India in the world”.

The ruling party also accused the Congress leader of practising the politics of “spit and run” and “crossing all limits of decency” in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking on the Lalit Modi controversy, Mr Gandhi had said that there would be no discussion in Parliament without Ms Swaraj’s resignation. “...Sushma has done a criminal act. He (Lalit Modi) is a fugitive. You have signed it (the recommendation for grant of travel document). The high commission does not know about it. The Indian government too is unaware of that,” Mr Gandhi had said.

Reacting to the remarks, Union minister Nitin Gadkari warned, “If Rahul does not apologise, then it is a serious problem. We will have to file a criminal defamation case against him.” He also said that Mr Gandhi using these words were “very unfortunate and undemocratic”.

He stressed that the allegations against Ms Swaraj were “baseless” and that she had not violated the law or the Constitution.