Congress steps up ante against PM Modi, Sushma Swaraj over Lalit Modi row

Opposition Congress party hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "silence" on the Lalit Modi row and demanded an answer saying he should come clean on the case.

The Congress party said the Prime Minister should come out of his 'meditation' to answer if External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje helped scam-tainted former IPL chief Lalit Modi with his consent.

The party also demanded resignation of Swaraj and Raje and claimed that BJP veteran leader LK Advani too had expressed no confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister.

"Advaniji, has obviously said he is not sure about the leadership. He has expressed no confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister. The ball is in the court of the Prime Minister," said Congress party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan.

He was referring to Advani's remarks on the possibility of a repeat of Emergency that he "doesn't have faith in today's political leadership due to its weaknesses".

Vadakkan said that the Prime Minister must answer whether the Chief Minister acted the way she did with his consent.
“Whether the External Affairs Minister did what she did with his consent? Are there other people involved, the Prime Minister must come clean. He must come out of his political Vipassana,” he said

Swaraj has been at the centre of the controversy for helping Lalit Modi in getting British travel documents, while Raje is accused of pushing for his immigration plea.

Reportedly, Raje's son has business associations with Lalit Modi and Congress demanded an investigation in the same matter.
"Chhota (Lalit) Modi used to run Rajasthan. This is a reality. If Chhota Modi was running Rajasthan and now the Bada (Narendra) Modi is at the Centre, it is time that the nation should know what are the realities today," he added.

(Image: Reuters)