New Delhi: Rejecting opposition demands for Sushma Swaraj’s resignation, the government, the BJP as well as RSS today defended the External Affairs Minister over the Lalit Modi travel documents issue, asserting that she had done no wrong and only acted on “humanitarian” grounds.
“We want to make it clear that whatever she has done is right. We justify it and the government completely stands by her,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversy.
Swaraj also reportedly talked to the Prime Minister.
Singh’s comment came after reports that Sushma had written to British lawmaker Keith Vaz to recommend travel documents for Lalit Modi, scam-tainted former IPL commissioner, for visiting Portugal. Swaraj said she had written to Vaz on “humanitarian grounds” after Lalit Modi said his wife was ill.
The Home Minister said Swaraj told Vaz to do only what was “allowed” as per the rules and regulations of the UK.
He said “any person with humanitarian approach” should do the same as Lalit Modi had said that his wife was suffering from cancer and he needed travel documents to visit her in Portugal.
When referred to opposition demands for her resignation, the Home Minister said, “I don’t agree”.
BJP chief Amit Shah also strongly defended Swaraj, saying she had acted in a “humanitarian” manner and “no big moral” issue was involved.
Decrying “uproar” over the issue, he said attempts to gain “political mileage will not yield any results” as he attacked opposition Congress by referring to the Bofors scam and Union Carbide controversies. .
PTI
