Sushma Swaraj lashes out at Congress

New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress for stopping her from making a statement in the Lok Sabha about the 39 missing Indians whose bodies were found in Iraq.

Speaking to the media here, she said the Congress has crossed all limits of low-level politics with their behaviour in the House.

After the Rajya Sabha maintained order and listened to her statement about the identification of the bodies of the 39 Indians who had gone missing after the Islamic State terrorist organisation overran the city of Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, Sushma Swaraj wanted to make a similar statement in the Lok Sabha too and approached Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

Following discussions, members protesting in the well of the House agreed to listen to the External Affairs Minister and keep their placards down but refused to go back to their seats.

“What I fail to understand is that when those who gave their assurance actually kept quiet, the pandemonium was created by the Congress and it was Jyotiraditya Scindia who personally took the lead in this,” Sushma Swaraj said.

“You must have been seen the Speaker saying a number of times whether there was no sensitivity here, whether the lack of sensitivity has come to such a level, why are you doing politics here,” she asked.

Sushma Swaraj said that Congress did not stand even one day in all the pandemonium over the no-confidence motion tabled by the TDP and the YSRCP.

“They did not take part in the chaos even one day. They are sitting with the belief that, yes, we would like a discussion on the no-confidence motion,” she said

Stating that that she had gone to the House with a heavy heart to give the sad and serious news after four years of efforts, she said: “Where was the need for Congress to kick up this ruckus? The Congress’s behaviour today has crossed all limits of low-level politics.”

Sushma Swaraj said that after having seen that she could make her statement in the Rajya Sabha peacefully, the Congress decided not to allow the same in the Lok Sabha.

“Do we need to do politics even over death? In fact, I told them that I have come to give them some sad and serious news,” she said.

Stating that there were many discussions in Parliament over the 39 missing Indians and questions raised, she said: “And today, when I was standing there to reply to these questions with proof in my hand, they refused to listen to me and did not allow others to listen as well. They forgot their behaviour from March 5 to 19.”

Sushma Swaraj said that she left the Lok Sabha with a heavier heart than she had gone with.

IANS