BJP hits back at Sonia, Rahul

 BJP today used the dynasty stick to hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his charge that Sushma Swaraj's family received money from former IPL boss Lalit Modi, saying people from "common families" have to earn their living and the Gandhi family may be an "exception".

Taking on Sonia Gandhi for her "theatrics" jibe at the External Affairs Minister, BJP said such remarks "reduce" Parliament's dignity, After Rahul sought to know how much money Swaraj's family received from Modi, a reference to the fact that her lawyer husband and daughter had worked for the former IPL chief, Union Minister Smriti Irani shot back, saying that people from "common families" have to earn their living and Gandhi family may be "exception".

BJP fielded Irani to defend Swaraj and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and attack the top Congress leaders on a day the verbal duel between the two parties escalated with both the Congress chief and her deputy making sharp comments against Swaraj over the Lalit Modi controversy.

"People in this country know that a woman coming from a normal family has to toil hard to make space for herself in the society and its economy. It is generally seen that children of such women also work hard. Congress may have an exception in the Gandhi family where they don't have to sweat it out in the sun to earn their livelihood. I completely reject their charges (against Swaraj)," she said.

Noting that the "boys of Congress" removed their shirt to protest "naked" against the Speaker's decision to suspend 25 Congress members from Lok Sabha, Irani wondered if this was the value Rahul wanted Congress to absorb.

"As a woman I want to ask this. The Speaker is the honour of Parliament.... Is this the value Rahul Gandhi wants to give to Congress?" she said.

To a question on Sonia Gandhi dubbing as "drama" and "theatrics" Swaraj's statement on the opposition's charges against her, she shot back asking if Gandhi wanted to say that Parliament had become a "theatre".

"Such a statement is disrespect to the people's mandate.... Congress party especially Rahul Gandhi should not work to reduce Parliament's respect," she told reporters here.
Taking a dig at the Congress president and her party's decision to stall Parliament, she said giving a byte for one and half minutes may be easy but speaking in Parliament for over one and half hour without support of papers may be difficult.

She also attacked Congress for its criticism of the Naga peace accord and opposition to the GST bill, saying the former was historic as far the country's internal security was concerned while GST would led to economic revolution.