Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi: Sushma Swaraj has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the issue,while opposition slams Swaraj and demanded resignation over the controversy surrounding the grant of travel documents to former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi by the UK government last year.Sources have told that several leaders within Ms Swaraj’s own party, the BJP, believe that she should step down.
On other hand BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on her decision to recommend travel documents for former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.
While Mr. Shah said she did no wrong and no moral issue was involved, Mr. Singh said what Ms. Swaraj did was “right” and that he “justified” it. Mr. Singh, after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Ms. Swaraj’s “help” to former Mr. Lalit Modi in procuring travel documents in the U.K. was on “humanitarian grounds“.
The external affairs minister accepted that she was indeed in touch with Lalit Modi in the month of July, 2014.The expose also revealed that Swaraj’s husband was seeking favour at different levels from Lalit Modi.
Earlier, in a series of tweets, the external affairs minister tried to clarify her position.”Sometime in July 2014 Lalit Modi spoke to me that his wife was suffering from cancer and her surgery was fixed for 4th August in Portugal,” Sushma says, adding, “he told me that he had to be present in the hospital to sign the consent papers.”
Sources say Ms Swaraj, 63, emphatically told the PM there was no wrong-doing on her part and clarified her stand.
With controversy over whether she helped Lalit Modi procure travel documents in the UK last year, Ms Swaraj had earlier today said she had only conveyed his request to the British envoy ‘taking a humanitarian view.’
He informed me that he had applied for travel documents in London and UK Government was prepared to give him the travel documents. However, they were restrained by a UPA Government communication that this will spoil Indo-UK relations.”
“Taking a humanitarian view, I conveyed to the British High Commissioner that British Government should examine the request of Lalit Modi as per British rules and regulations. If the British Government chooses to give travel documents to Lalit Modi, that will not spoil our bilateral relations,” she added.
Lalit Modi, 49, is facing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into allegations of financial irregularities in the IPL. He has been in the UK since 2010 when the IPL was caught in a huge storm over an alleged betting scandal. Lalit Modi’s passport was revoked in March that year.
Last year, Lalit Modi was given a visa after Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz recommended his name. According to the British media, Mr Vaz cited the name of Ms Swaraj to put pressure on the UK’s top immigration official to grant British travel papers to Mr Modi. The grant of visa is being discussed before a parliamentary panel in the UK.
“Keith Vaz also spoke to me and I told him precisely what I told the British High Commissioner. I genuinely believe that in a situation such as this, giving emergency travel documents to an Indian citizen cannot and should not spoil relations between the two countries,” Ms Swaraj said today.
The opposition has called for Ms Swaraj’s resignation. “Lalit Modi is an Enforcement Directorate offender. External affairs minister helping an ED offender is appalling. I appeal Sushma Swaraj to resign on moral grounds,” said senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.