Swaraj tweeted on Monday morning: “Look who is preaching propriety – of all the persons Navika Kumar!” [Journalist with Times Now]
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the issue, also seeking Swaraj’s resignation. Attacking Swaraj, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala while addressing a press conference in the Capital said: “The documents point to not only the involvement of the Sushma Swaraj, but the entire BJP government is involved in helping a blacklisted person. Lalit Modi, who’s accused of betting, black money laundering, was aided by her.
Her active complicity and the entire BJP government aiding and abetting a fugitive of law, perhaps with tacit approval of PM also it is unprecedented that the written communication establishes a quid-pro-quo between the criminal in question and the minister. It seems there is a relationship, contours of which should be revealed by PM and BJP chief.”
“Sushma Swaraj overturned/overruled existing government communications to a foreign country. These communications of the previous UPA government not only denied travel documents to Lalit Modi, but also sought his arrest to hold him accountable to Indian law. For a PM who single-handedly runs the Foreign Ministry with her playing a second fiddle, Narendra Modi’s complicity in providing favours to a legally established offender and absconder – Lalit Modi, is nothing but open to negative interpretation,” he said attacking the PM. He also raised the issue of Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri who was in fact Lalit’s lawyer, as being a matter of conflict of interest. The Congress raised another set of 11 questions to PM, Sushma Swaraj, BJP related to this issue.
CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury demanded that the Prime Minister tell Parliament and the nation how the matter is going to be addressed. “First of all, there are very serious charges raised against the External Affairs Minister. But the Prime Minister has been quiet and silent. We are asking the Prime Minister to tell us how this is going to be addressed. So, in this situation, the Prime Minister, whose prerogative it is to keep whomever he wishes in the Council (of Ministers), has to answer this,” he said. Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy said Swaraj should not have had intervened in the matter and now she must own up to having done something “improper” in her capacity as a minister.
While Aam Aadmi Party too voiced a similar sentiment. Party spokesperson Kumar Vishwas said Swaraj should come out with her explanation. He said such a big decision of helping Lalit Modi could not have been taken without the knowledge of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The BJP though continued to support Swaraj with Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan coming out in her support and saying she had helped Lalit Modi on “humanitarian grounds”. “Sushma Swaraj’s life is filled with transparency and honesty. Her honesty is beyond doubt. Whatever she did, she did it on humanitarian grounds. If someone is helped abiding by rules and regulations, then where is the crime in that?” he asked.
Meanwhile, former IPL chief Lalit Modi’s lawyer on Monday termed the entire issue involving External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj a “political jamboree” intended to “destabilise the government which is so far free of any scars or scams”.
Addressing the media on behalf of Lalit Modi, lawyer Mehmood M. Abdi said the “non-issue is being blown out of proportion by the media”, which is calling Modi an offender and criminal. “No proceedings in any court of law has declared him an offender or a fugitive. He is staying in London with the full knowledge of and complying with British laws,” Abdi said on behalf of Modi.