Headlines
Sushma in row over helping Lalit Modi with travel papers
New Delhi, June 14
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj on Sunday was at the centre of a row after admitting to
having helped former IPL chief Lalit Modi procure documents to travel to
Portugal last July on "humanitarian grounds" with the Congress
demanding her resignation for "gross impropriety".
Sushma Swaraj,
in a series of 14 tweets, said she helped Lalit Modi, who has been
staying in London since 2010 following allegations of financial
impropriety, after he approached her last July, saying his wife was
suffering from cancer and was to undergo surgery in Portugal.
Sushma
Swaraj, however, denied having sought any favour for her nephew
Jyotirmay Kaushal with regard to his admission in a law course at Sussex
University.
"What benefit did I pass on to Lalit Modi - that he
could sign consent papers for surgery of his wife suffering from cancer?
He was in London. After his wife's surgery, he came back to London.
What is it that I changed?" she said in angry tweets.
Sushma
Swaraj is reported to have spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about
the matter, even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah and
Home Minister Rajnath Singh came out in support of the senior minister.
While
the Congress demanded the minister's resignation for "gross
impropriety" for having helped Lalit Modi, against whom the Enforcement
Directorate has filed charges, many BJP leaders, as well as Samajwadi
Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, came out in her support.
Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted his support: "Sushma Swaraj
Ji's life is an epitome of transparency and probity in public service.
Any attempt to misconstrue humanitarian action will fail."
Ram Gopal Yadav said: "Sushma Swaraj has done nothing wrong, it's unfortunate that people have hyped this matter."
The
incident was triggered after Britain's Sunday Times reported an email
exchange between influential Labour MP Keith Vaz and head of UK Visas
and Immigration Sarah Rapson, citing Sushma Swaraj, to facilitate travel
documents for Lalit Modi.
The Sunday Times in its report said:
"Leaked correspondence reveals how Vaz cited Sushma Swaraj, India's
foreign minister, to the Home Office in an effort to expedite the case
of Lalit Modi, a mutual acquaintance."
"... Lalit Modi spoke to
me that his wife was suffering from cancer and her surgery was fixed for
4th Aug in Portugal. He told me that he had to be present in the
Hospital to sign the consent papers," Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
"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," she added.
"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," said the minister.
"Keith Vaz also spoke to me and I told him precisely what I told the British High Commissioner," she said.
Sushma
Swaraj said: "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."
She said that a
few days after that, the Delhi High Court quashed an order by the
erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to impound
Lalit Modi's passport.
"I may also state that only a few days
later, Delhi High Court quashed UPA Government's order impounding Lalit
Modi's passport on the ground that the said order was unconstitutional
being violative of fundamental rights and he got his passport back," she
said.
The Enforcement Directorate has initiated proceedings
against Lalit Modi and in March 2010, the Regional Passport Office in
Mumbai had revoked his passport.
With regard to her nephew's
admission, she said: "Regarding Jyotirmay Kaushal's admission in a law
course at Sussex University, he secured admission through the normal
admission process in 2013 - one year before I became a Minister."
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh demanded Sushma Swaraj's resignation "on moral grounds".
"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," he said.
Digvijaya Singh also demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Modi on the issue.
Congress
spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the incident exposed "a clear nexus
between a money launderer and match-fixer" -- referring to Lalit Modi
and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"I want to ask the prime
minister, home minister and (BJP president) Amit Shah, if tomorrow
Dawood wants help on humanitarian grounds, will they help," he wondered.
He demanded her resignation on moral grounds and asked for an explanation from the government in the matter.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said the issue would be raised in parliament when it meets next.
"We want this matter probed. We will raise it in parliament," Mayawati said.