Those who have friends in the right places also have foes in the wrong ones.
Lalit Modi is no exception to the rule.
The Quint presents a quick look at Lalit Modi’s links (and sometimes complicated relationship) with four BJP leaders, starting with Sushma Swaraj.
1. The Swaraj-Lalit Modi Family Connect
Details have emerged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may have lent Modi a hand when he ran into trouble procuring travel documents to go to Portugal for his wife’s cancer treatment.
Now Mrs. Swaraj is known to have helped people in dire need even via social media. And she was recently given the ‘Best Minister’ award for her efforts in the year that she’s held office.
And Lalit Modi has known family for many years. Mrs. Swaraj’s husband, Swaraj Kaushal, has lent Modi legal counsel for over 20 years, and their daughter Bansuri, is also listed as one of the lawyers who represent Modi in court.
Swaraj tweeted on Sunday and said that she had indeed helped Modi, but it was purely on ‘humanitarian’ grounds, with her record, that might hold some weight.
The seasoned Swaraj was wise to come clean though, and why wouldn’t she, Lalit Modi is virtually a ticking time bomb. The worst brat to ever don Cavalli.
2. Lalit Modi’s Attacks on Arun Jaitley and Attempted U-turn
If Lalit Modi knew that his old friend from BCCI, Arun Jaitley would become the Indian Finance Minister in 2014, and have under his ambit the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department, the reason for Modi being a fugitive of the Indian Government, he would have willingly lost a few fingers before he typed out these tweets against Jaitley.
Lalit Modi tried to save face, and make-up, but it may have been too little too late.
The Finance Minister, like the Internet, is unlikely to forget.
3. The Yashwant Sinha Probe
Another Former NDA Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha, headed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that looked at allegations of financial irregularities within the IPL when it was run by Lalit Modi.
Sinha’s report took the BCCI collectively to task along with Lalit Modi. He also pulled up the Revenue Dept and the Enforcement Directorate for ‘failing to gather information on the source of funds used for bidding for IPL franchises.’
Clearly for Sinha, Modi’s actions as IPL Chairman, were suspect. While he is not part of the Narendra Modi government, Sinha remains a very senior BJP leader, and clearly not one of Lalit Modi’s friends within the party.
Another axe that hangs over Modi’s neck.
4. More Bad-Blood: Lalit Modi and Anurag Thakur
Lalit Modi may have won the Rajasthan Cricket Association Elections and become its President once again, but he is also hugely responsible for the ban currently in place on the RCA.
The BCCI ostracised the RCA primarily because of Modi’s actions, and since Modi can’t really ban the BCCI, he rants against them. And after N Srinivasan, it’s the BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur who is Modi’s favourite target at his old hunting ground.
Thakur is also a Member of Parliament from the BJP. And he is no friend of Lalit Modi’s. Here’s why.