Rahul slams PM, asks him to break silence

New Delhi, Aug 12 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him to break his silence on the Lalit Modi issue.

Gandhi said his party would not keep quiet on the issue of corruption.

"(Narendra) Modi had promised the nation that Rs.15 lakh black money would come back into every bank account. He had also promised that he will not allow corruption. He has failed in both," Gandhi said during a debate on the Lalit Modi issue in the Lok Sabha.

"The IPL is the epicentre of black money and Lalit Modi is the symbol of black money in this country," he said.

The Congress leader said the prime minister was not present in the Lok Sabha as he did not have the guts to face the house.

He said Modi has decided to not hear, see and talk about the truth.

Amid a huge ruckus created by the treasury benches, Gandhi said: "They are trying to silence me. The Congress will not keep quiet, we will keep protesting."

He also criticised External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who had attacked him earlier in her speech saying: "Yesterday (Tuesday), Sushma ji held my hand and said 'why are you angry with me, what have I done?"

"I said 'I respect you'. I looked into your eyes and said I am speaking the truth. But she looked away," Gandhi said.

Gandhi posed two questions to Sushma Swaraj -- how much money she and her family got from Lalit Modi and why did she help him in a "humanitarian" way in a hidden manner.