’This Very Minute,’ Urges Minister Sushma Swaraj. Lalitgate Debate Begins

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug  12, 2015:  Asserting that she is ready "this very minute", Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Opposition Congress to begin a debate on the controversy that has left parliament paralysed - her assistance that allowed tainted cricket tycoon Lalit Modi to travel from the UK to Portugal last year for his wife’s cancer treatment.

 

"Call it Lalitgate, Modigate, whatever, the discussion must happen," the Foreign Minister said, ignoring the objections of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who objected to the "Modigate" moniker used by the Congress.
 
Parliament’s Monsoon Session ends tomorrow; the Congress ensured no business was transacted, demanding Ms Swaraj’s removal as a prerequisite to allowing the House to function. That strategy has stalled key legislation including the landmark GST tax reform. With other parties indicating it may have gone too far, and Ms Swaraj signaling her readiness to answer charges, the Congress abandoned its "no resignation, no debate" policy.

Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress said that the Foreign Minister’s wrongdoing in assisting Lalit Modi is obvious from the fact that it was the media, and not she, who revealed that she had informed the UK that if the tycoon were allowed to accompany his wife to Portugal, relations with India would not be damaged. "The PM’s silence on this (controversy) proves the links to Lalit Modi are suspicious," the Congressman charged, as he presented 7 questions on Lalitgate for the government. Among them: why has the government not appealed against a court decision last year that saw Lalit Modi’s Indian passport being reinstated. According to the Congress, this lapse is one of many examples of government assistance to a "fugitive".

Ms Swaraj said last week that her conversation with UK officials sought to help Lalit Modi’s sick wife, who she described as a cancer patient who has broken no laws.

 

Courtesy: NDTV