Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi : Former IPL chief Lalit Modi’s lawyer said on Monday his client could not be termed a fugitive or an offender, while pointing to a ‘political angle’ in a controversy over the granting of UK travel papers to him. At a press conference in Mumbai, lawyer Mehmood Abdi said the UPA government was after Lalit Modi since the time the former IPL commissioner talked about Sunanda Pushkar’s “sweat equity” on Twitter.
In the build-up to the media briefing, Modi set the stage by taking to Twitter, where he promised a “kind of press conference” the media will love.
“My guess is the wrong people resignations are being asked. I can assure u now the storm is about to hit. Lots more resignations will be (sought),” he wrote on the micro-blogging site in the wake of opposition parties demanding external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s resignation for helping Modi.
There was no such revelation at the press conference, however. When a journalist asked Abdi about Modi’s tweets, the lawyer said he should ask Modi.
On the other hand the Congress on Monday continued with its offensive against external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in the Lalit Modi case and said a criminal case is made out against her and consequent action should be taken.
The party also stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an explanation of his conduct in the issue.
“Narendra Modi should answer questions whether he was a party to help a ‘money launderer’,” Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said addressing a press conference, during which the opposition party posed 11 questions to the government.
“Sushma Swaraj’s help to Lalit Modi points to entire BJP government in aiding a fugitive perhaps with tacit approval of PM,” the Congress leader said.
“For a Prime Minister who single-handedly runs the external affairs ministry, it is hard for us to believe that the Prime Minister did not know that active help was being extended to Lalit Modi,” the Congress spokesperson said.
“Not only did Lalit Modi have a relationship with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, but also with the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah,” he alleged.
“It is unprecedented that written communication establishes a quid pro quo between the criminal in question and the minister,” the Congress spokesperson added.
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