New Delhi: Even as opposition parties rake their demand for resignation of Sushma Swaraj as the External Affairs Minister for helping Lalit Modi get a visa for United Kingdom, the former Indian Premier League commissioner has chosen to stay silent.
"Waiting and watching the story unfold for now," he said as the debate over Sushma helping Modi obtain a visa rages.
There has been massive uproar by the Opposition seeking an action against the External Affairs minister even after she clarified that she only helped a man to sign consent papers for the surgery of his cancer-struck wife.
“What benefit did I pass on to Lalit Modi – that he could sign consent papers for surgery of his wife suffering from Cancer ?” tweeted Swaraj.
Rejecting opposition demands for Swaraj’s resignation, the government, the BJP as well as RSS on Sunday defended her, asserting that she had done no wrong and only acted on “humanitarian” grounds.
“We want to make it clear that whatever she has done is right. We justify it and the government completely stands by her,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversy.
BJP President Amit Shah too backed Swaraj saying that she had already given her clear clarification on Twitter. He also pointed out how she had just helped an Indian national on humanitarian grounds who wanted to travel to Portugal for the treatment of his cancer-stricken wife.
Hitting back at Congress, the BJP chief said this matter as different from making Bofors scam accused Ottavio Quattrocchi “flee” from India or allowing Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson to “leave” the country.
Sushma admitted to have written to British lawmaker Keith Vaz to recommend travel documents for Lalit Modi, scam-tainted former IPL commissioner, for visiting Portugal. Swaraj said she had written to Vaz on “humanitarian grounds” after Lalit Modi said his wife was ill.
The Home Minister said Swaraj told Vaz to do only what was “allowed” as per the rules and regulations of the UK. He said “any person with humanitarian approach” should do the same as Lalit Modi had said that his wife was suffering from cancer and he needed travel documents to visit her in Portugal. When referred to opposition demands for her resignation, the Home Minister said, “I don’t agree”.
RSS leader Indresh Kumar also defended Swaraj, saying whatever she might have done would have been guided by her “humane” nature and “nationalistic” spirit. “Sushmaji is full of nationalism and humane nature. Whatever she might have done, would be guided by nationalism and humane nature,” he said.
However, Congress party demanded that the External Affairs Minister hand in her resignation after she admitted her role in the expediting of the former IPL chairman’s travel papers to the United Kingdom, despite the red alert issued by the government.
“It is very unfortunate that a Foreign Minister of the country is helping an ED offender. Lalit Modi is close to a number of BJP leaders, including the Chief Minister of Rajasthan… The External Affairs Minister helping him to go out of the country to hoodwink the administration, and [Prime Minister] Modi is silent on the matter,” Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said.
Modi fled India for England in 2010 after his passport was revoked amid claims of financial irregularities.
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