Cong Demands Vasundhara Raje’s Resignation
The Congress is now demanding Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje’s removal
The Congress, in the meanwhile has stepped up the pressure on Vasundhara Raje, demanding her resignation at the earliest.
Even as Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje finds herself in a spot, the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have distanced itself from her involvement. Sources reveal that Raje has now called upon party President Amit Shah to discuss the matter further.
Picking up where Chidambaram left off, Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asserted that Sushma Swaraj had breached several norms by not consulting the ED or any other body that had earlier refused to grant travel documents to Lalit Modi. He asserted that Modi had later sent a “thank you” email to Sushma Swaraj and her husband.
In a press briefing, Former Minister P Chidambaram stated that in 2010 the Enforcement Directorate was probing into Lalit Modi’s matter and had issued showcause notices as he was found to be living in the UK without a valid passport.
The letters exchanged are the best evidence and the contents will be known when the letters are made public. I will tell you the gist - Lalit Modi was being investigated under the law of india, his passport had been cancelled and he had no right to travel outside India and be in the UK.
– P Chidambaram
Chidamabaram also questioned who it was that had issued a fresh passport to Lalit Modi, even after his passport had been cancelled in 2011. At the same time, he defended former PM Manmohan Singh and the UPA government, saying that they were not silent on the matter. Instead, he mounted an attack on the NDA government saying that if indeed Lalit Modi wanted to see his ailing wife, he “could have been given a temporary permit.”
Times Now reports that even as the ED is ready to probe the expose, the Ministry of External Affairs is set to revoke Lalit Modi’s passport.
A day after Lalit Modi’s explosive interview to India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Modi tweeted that he would refrain from giving any further TV interviews, since “facts were being distorted.”
Sushma Swaraj tweets in support of her daughter. Sushma responded on Twitter to allegations that she had taken and given favours to get her daughter Bansuri Kaushal into a medical college.
The handle @pakaoed has now been deleted.
Sharad Pawar tells NDTV’s Barkha Dutt about four weeks ago in London. Pawar claims that he asked Lalit Modi to come back and face the law.
Pawar claims that he checked Lalit Modi’s claims that his life was in danger and found some substance in it.
Pawar however denied Modi’s claims that he helped him travel.
Vasundhara Raje says that she has known Lalit Modi’s family for many years but has no knowledge of the papers that are being talked about.
On Tuesday it was reported that Raje had given a “Witness Statement” in August 2011 to British authorities supporting his case for immigration in Britain – which was his base after fleeing from India.
Raje’s purported “witness statement” was made public on Tuesday evening on behalf of the Modi camp.
The controversy already has the Opposition baying for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s blood.
And now, after former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has made some pretty scathing claims landing another BJP leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in trouble, the Congress has demanded that both the leaders resign and then explain their stand.
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