Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not trying to defend External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in connection with the controversy surrounding former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, and added that the former was simply a ‘collateral damage’.
“The way, in which the BJP has jumped to defend Sushma ji, they are actually not saving her but the PMO and Prime Minster. In reality, the BJP is saving Prime Minsiter Modi. Sushma ji is simply a collateral damage,” said Dikshit.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had earlier said that all the allegations against Swaraj are ‘baseless’ adding that whatever she did was with a ‘good intention’.
“All allegations are baseless. Her statement and the party president’s statement have also come out. Whatever she did was with a good intention, the government as well as the party have agreed on this. The ED has investigated several cases against Lalit Modi, showcause notices have been issued in many of them,” said Jaitley while addressing a joint press conference with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Swaraj had on Sunday said she had taken a humanitarian view of Lalit Modi’s case since his wife was suffering from cancer.
She further said that British MP Keith Vaz had spoken to her on thesame, adding she believes that giving an Indian citizen ’emergency travel documents’ cannot spoil relations between India and the UK.
Vaz, who is facing an inquiry in the UK over the role he played in Modi receiving his travel papers, said that he had checked with the Indian Government before taking any action and added that he had received a ‘no objection’ from New Delhi.