New Delhi: Reacting to the major controversy that has erupted over Sushma Swaraj helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi with travel documents, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should stop protecting the External Affairs Minister and sack her.
“The Prime Minister should stop protecting Swaraj and sack her,” Rahul said categorically.
Rahul also said that PM should also stop protecting Lalit Modi, claiming that he was the symbol of black money.
At the same time he also emphasised that PM Modi was the one who was running the government and that Sushma was a 'minor minister'.
The official Twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi's office also posted a series of tweets:
There's only 1man running this country &the Govt-that's Mr Narendra Modi.Mr Narendra Modi should stop protecting Mr Lalit Modi:Rahul Gandhi
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 15, 2015
MrLalit Modi is a symbol of Black Money.Mr Modi is standing behind Mr Modi.Who's Sushma Swarajji?She means nothing in this Govt:Rahul Gandhi
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 15, 2015
It is not a question of Sushma ji resigning, PM Modiji should sack Sushma Swaraj ji from the Govt:Rahul Gandhi #ModiGate
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 15, 2015
Earlier in the day, keeping up the attack on Sushma, the Congress held a press conference in the national capital, alleging, the entire BJP was involved in the Lalit Modi controversy.
Addressing the press, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also charged the BJP-led NDA government of aiding and abetting the former IPL chief.
At the same time Surjewala maintained that nothing could have happened without the approval of PM Modi and asked whether there was any quid pro quo in helping Lalit Modi,
Not stopping here, the Congress spokesperson also sought an FIR to be registered against her and termed the whole row 'Modigate'.
Lalit Modi has been living in London since 2010 to avoid a probe for alleged foreign exchange regulation violations in the T20 cricket tournament held in South Africa in 2009.
The previous UPA government had revoked his passport and had pressed for his extradition.
The genesis of the controversy was disclosure of emails showing that Sushma had spoken to Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz and its High Commissioner in London James Bevan favouring the grant of travel documents to Lalit Modi to go to Portugal, purportedly for his wife's cancer treatment in June last year.
According to British media which quoted leaked emails, Vaz cited Swaraj's name to put pressure on UK's top immigration official to grant British travel papers to Lalit Modi, who subsequently got the documents in less than 24 hours, as per PTI.
Vaz also offered to help Swaraj's nephew Jyotirmay Kaushal to apply for a British law degree course, the report said.
After the controversy broke, 63-year-old Swaraj took to micro-blogging website Twitter defending her move and claimed that she had helped the former IPL chief on 'humanitarian view'.
What benefit did I pass on to Lalit Modi - that he could sign consent papers for surgery of his wife suffering from Cancer ?
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 14, 2015
He was in London. After his wife's surgery, he came back to London. What is it that I changed ?
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 14, 2015
Meanwhile, the BJP has come out in strong support of the External Affairs Minister.
BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended Sushma yesterday by saying that she had done no wrong and only acted on "humanitarian" grounds saying that she had done no wrong.
Today also BJP leaders like Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Venkaiah Naidu came out in support of the Foreign Minister saying that there was nothing illegal in what she had done.
(With Agency inputs)
