Congress never filed a case of money laundering against Lalit Modi, alleges BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday alleged that the Congress-led UPA-II regime had never filed a case of money laundering against Lalit Modi, dismissing the charges against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over helping the former IPL chairman.

"Lalit Modi had escaped from India during the UPA regime and the Congress never filed a case of money laundering against him. They must come clear on what interest they had in keeping Lalit Modi in London. They were irresponsible in letting such people escape and then never took any steps to correct that," BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said.

The BJP, which has been defending External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj despite opposition demands that she be sacked for helping Lalit Modi, was hit with another worry last week when the former IPL boss claimed that Raje secretly supported his immigration plea in Britain.

The Congress has mounted pressure on Raje after the emergence of a letter reportedly carrying her signature, in which she backs Lalit Modi's application in the UK.