External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has courted another controversy after she disclosed that she helped former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who is charged with financial impropriety, obtain travel documents to visit his wife who has been under treatment for cancer in Portugal. The new revelations have put the Narendra Modi-led government in a fix with the opposition parties training their guns against Swaraj and demanding her immediate resignation.
Lalit Modi who had to step down as IPL chief in 2010 and against whom a red alert is still on effect had allegedly approached the external affairs ministry for help to procure his UK travel documents. Sushma Swaraj, in a series of tweets on Sunday, claimed that she took the case in a humanitarian view, for Modi had to visit Portugal to sign the consent form of his wife's surgery. However, opposition parties question this asking how a humanitarian stand can be taken towards a person who faces criminal charges.
Swaraj has been attacked after the disclosure of e-mails showing that she had spoken to the Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz and its High Commissioner James Bevan seeking favours for Lalit Modi.
Lalit Modi is the founder chairman of multi-million dollar Indian Premier League. After successfully conducting the mega event for three years he was forced to quit in 2010 after facing serious allegations of match-fixing and betting which attracted wide-spread criticism against the tournament.
However, Modi denied the allegations and blamed the BCCI administration for unnecessarily accusing him. Sources said Enforcement Directorate was in the final stage of investigation against Modi when he sought Swaraj's help.
Modi has been living in London since 2010 to avoid a probe in India. The previous UPA government revoked his passport in 2011 to force him to come back to India. However, Sushma Swaraj's intervention in the case favouring Modi is seen as a shift in government's policy.
According to sources, a blue-corner notice has been issued against Modi which means he can be detained if traced anywhere. However, Modi's lawyer on Monday denied any such notice and accused previous UPA government and former BCCI chief N Srinivasan of targeting him.
As the controversy swirled over Sushma Swaraj's role in helping Lalit Modi, the foreign minister came up with an explanation that she did it on humanitarian grounds.
“What benefit did I pass on to Lalit Modi - that he could sign consent papers for surgery of his wife suffering from Cancer ?” she asked.
Swaraj further said: “He was in London. After his wife's surgery, he came back to London. What is it that I changed?”
Opposition parties led by the Congress have launched a concerted attack on the government over the issue with many of them demanding the immediate resignation of Sushma Swaraj.
Congress has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence asking if he was also a party to it.
Party leader Digvijay Singh said, "The minister backed a person like Lalit Modi, against whom a lookout notice was there... All this is very serious. The External Affairs Minister is supporting a person who is on the run."
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said, "In the interest of transparency, Government of India should release the letters written to the UK Chancellor on the Lalit Modi case."
Demanding Swaraj's resignation, Ashutosh from AAP said,"This is a serious matter. She should resign. If she doesn't then PM Modi should sack her."
CPI leader D Raja questioned the government saying, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi owes an explanation to the country on impropriety committed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj."
Sushma Swaraj's husband Swaraj Kaushal had been Lalit Modi's lawyer for around 22 years and her daughter Bansuri Swaraj has been his lawyer for past seven years.
Lalit Modi reportedly helped Swaraj's husband for admission of his nephew in Sussex University.
Levelling a quid pro quo allegation, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said Lalit Modi, who is squarely involved in a hawala, betting, match-fixing and money-laundering racket amounting to nearly Rs.700 crore, not only had a direct association as also client-counsel relationship with Sushma Swaraj’s family but also appears to have a long standing relationship with Prime Minister Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah.
The government has come up in support of Sushma Swaraj saying she had done nothing wrong but acted on "humanitarian grounds".
“Whatever she has done is right. We justify it and the government completely stands by her,” Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.
"We justify it and the government completely stands by her,”said Rajnath after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also has thrown its weight behind Swaraj saying she just helped an Indian national to treat his wife for cancer.
BJP President Amit Shah said, "Lalit Modi was not helped the way Warren Anderson and Ottavio Quattrocchi were. Sushma Swaraj has already given her clarification on Twitter. She has helped an Indian National who wanted to treat his wife for cancer. Sushma Swaraj asked UK Minister to help Lalit Modi as per the laws of their country."
Saffron Outfits Back Sushma
The minister has got support from right-wing outfits with Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and Shiv Sena strongly come in defence of her. Shiv Sena said: "Some people are jealous because of the work being done by Sushma Swaraj and such malicious accusations are aimed at demoralising her and the government. Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar leader said, "she was full of patriotism and nationalism and has never compromised on these two things."
