NEW DELHI: It was an all-out slugfest between the Congress and BJP on Tuesday, with the former demanding a probe by a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team into the role of External Affairs Ministry in the Lalit Modi issue.
The BJP shot back saying the Congress was displaying “frustration” and “bankruptcy of ideas”.
“The ministers are hiding facts and protecting a wanted offender... What External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj did was unwarranted. The row is not just about Lalit Modi’s travel papers, but about protection being given to him,” said former Union Minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma.
Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue, Sharma said, “Can there be two different sets of probity? Lalit Modi has declared himself bankrupt, but he is holidaying.”
In response, the BJP rallied behind Sushma calling the entire episode a “non-issue raked up by the Congress, which cannot target the well-performing Modi Govt on anything else”.
According to sources in the Congress, the party is likely to demand a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
“Even if they do not agree to a SIT, they would have to concede to a JPC probe,” the source said.