New Delhi: The clamour for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s resignation by the Opposition grew on Saturday over her alleged assistance to scam-tainted former IPL chief Lalit Modi to obtain British travel documents.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s youth wing protested outside her residence in the national capital today, raising slogans against her. Notably, Sushma left earlier morning today for New York where she will participate in the International Yoga Day event being organised by the Indian Mission at the United Nations.
Over 300 volunteers, including AAP MLA from Palam, Bhavna Gaur, also protested outside Swaraj’s residence in Lutyens Bungalow Zone in central Delhi. They also demanded sacking of Rajasthan chief Vasundhara Raje.
Congress also demanded the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. We will raise issue in Monsoon Session of Parliament,” said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, as per report.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sachin Pilot was quoted by ANI, “PM Modi used to say he’ll guard nation’s treasury, now he’s helping BJP leaders who extended help to people who looted nation’s treasury, this will affect PM Modi’s political capital.”
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party defended Sushma and alleged that Lalit Modi had friends in Centre during the UPA regime. Lalit Modi was close friends with many top UPA Ministers. That was the reason for four years UPA didn’t do enough to bring him back to India,” BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao was quoted by report.
Sushma Swaraj is facing flak for having helped Lalit Modi procure documents to travel to Portugal in 2014. Lalit Modi, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged financial impropriety in the money-spinning IPL, stays in London. Her husband Swaraj Kaushal was governor of Mizoram from 1990 to 1993 and is an expert on the northeast.
Sharing her thoughts on Twitter, Swaraj had earlier said that she had taken a humanitarian view of Modi’s case since his wife was suffering from cancer, adding that she believes that giving an Indian citizen ’emergency travel documents’ cannot spoil relations between India and the UK.
Opposition parties have said that Swaraj’s continuance as a minister has become untenable over the alleged acts of ‘grave impropriety’ by her in helping the tainted former IPL boss Lalit Modi.
Bureau Report
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