Delhi: The Congress on Friday warned the Modi government that there was no way they could save the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament if External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje did not resign over the controversy of travel documents to former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said, “Central government is caught in a trap of its own making and the only way it can save itself is by getting resignation of EAM and Rajasthan CM.”
“No way out other than resignation of Swaraj and Raje for 'saving' the Monsoon session,” he reiterated.
“The resignation of EAM and Rajasthan CM is important. We hope the PM takes strong action,” the Congress leader added.
“The close relations between Lalit Modi's-EAM's family and Lalit Modi's-Rajasthan CM's family can clearly be seen,” he said as per ANI.
At the same time Ramesh maintained that it was not possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not aware of the whole matter and insinuated that the PM was 'in it' too.
“We feel that the matter is being kept under veils so that the secret is not revealed,” Ramesh said.
And taking a dig at PM Modi, Ramesh said, "The Congress party has asked 34 pointed questions in the last 5 days on 'Modigate'. We expect the PM to speak after the Yoga Diwas. He is now sitting in a 'Lalit aasana' where his ears, mouth and eyes are closed," adding, "There is an unholy nexus between chota Modi and bada Modi.
“Being friends is not a crime but making use of friendship to break the law is a crime. If there is a Congress leader who has helped Lalit Modi escape from law, I'm sure Congress leadership will take cognizance of it,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, BJP chief Amit Shah met PM Modi amid mounting pressure by Opposition to sack Swaraj and Raje.
Sources said that Shah, who had gone to PM's residence along with a delegation UP farmers last evening, stayed back and had a detailed discussion with him on 'Lalitgate', as per PTI.
Shah is understood to have discussed possible damage control measures in the wake of fresh disclosures indicating links of Raje and Swaraj with the former IPL boss.
The sources said Shah is also in touch with RSS leadership on the issue.
The genesis of the ongoing controversy was disclosure of emails showing that Sushma had spoken to Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz and its High Commissioner in London James Bevan favouring the grant of travel documents to Lalit Modi to go to Portugal, purportedly for his wife's cancer treatment in June last year.
According to British media which quoted leaked emails, Vaz cited Swaraj's name to put pressure on UK's top immigration official to grant British travel papers to Lalit Modi, who subsequently got the documents in less than 24 hours, as per PTI.
Vaz also offered to help Swaraj's nephew Jyotirmay Kaushal to apply for a British law degree course, the report said.
After the controversy broke, 63-year-old Swaraj had taken to micro-blogging website Twitter defending her move and had claimed that she had helped the former IPL chief on 'humanitarian view'.
(With PTI inputs)
