After his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is now facing fire over his stray remarks.  Rahul Gandhi had accused Sushma Swaraj of committing a criminal act by helping Lalit Modi, adding that her act "deserved jail".

An angry Nitin Gadkari has threatened Rahul Gandhi with a criminal defamation suit if he did not apologise to Sushma. "This is a very insensitive and insulting comment against a foreign minister. He should apologise in person and take back his words," the union minister said.

Gadkari also said the Congress leader’s charges of corruption had no basis. "She has not violated any law, nor has she misused her office,” he said.

"Sushma Swaraj is a minister who the whole country knows has done a criminal act. When you do a criminal act, you go to jail. The foreign minister of India going around ... and saying please release this man. The CM of Rajasthan has done that. This is against the law," Rahul said yesterday.

Curiously, his unusually hard-hitting comment came soon after BJP moved a privilege notice in Lok Sabha against his brother-in-law Robert Vadra for a recent Facebook post that said, "Parliament begins and so do their petty diversionary tactics...People of India are not fool(s). Regret to see India led by such so-called leaders."

The Congress party vice president made it clear that there would be no discussion on the Lalit Modi controversy unless Sushma quits office. “What we have said is that (there will be) no discussion without 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 in unaware of that,” he said and alleged that there were business links between the families of Lalit Modi and Sushma Swaraj.