PATNA: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today came out in defence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the matter of helping former IPL boss Lalit Modi get travel documents from Britain, saying a home department official in London has already clarified the matter.
"Lalit Modi was provided travel documents under appropriate rules," he said quoting a release purportedly issued by a British Home Department official.
Swaraj had done nothing wrong in putting in a words with British authorities for issuance of travel documents for the former IPL Commissioner to visit Portugal last year, he said, adding that the Centre and BJP were with her on the controversy.
The senior BJP leader denied that Lalit Modi was a fugitive who has been living in London for past five years without proper travel documents and said Delhi High Court has restored his passport which had been revoked by the government after he failed to turn up for interrogation by ED in a money laundering case.
On the conflict of interest charge against the External Affairs Minister, Modi said he had no idea about it.
On Bihar Chief Minister attacking NDA government over the controversy surrounding Swaraj, he reminded Nitish Kumar about the stand taken by his allies and their leaders - namely the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and the Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, who have stood by the beleaguered External Affairs Minister.