External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Narendra Modi-led government are tying themselves in knots over the Lalit Modi issue. By denying in Parliament that she made no request on behalf of the former Indian Premier League chief to facilitate his travel out of the UK, Swaraj has put her foot in her mouth. On June 14, she had stated on a social networking site that "taking a humanitarian view", she had told the British High Commissioner to India to examine the request for Lalit Modi's travel. She added that if the UK government agreed, this "would not affect its bilateral relations" with India - a departure from the stated position of the previous UPA II government. Can she dismiss the allegation of helping a fugitive, said to be her husband's and daughter's long-time client?
Swaraj needs to reconcile her contradictory statements on this contentious issue that has rocked both Houses of Parliament for more than two weeks and led the Speaker to suspend 25 Congress MPs. The Congress has decided to boycott the Lok Sabha during the period of suspension of its MPs. It is a pity that our Prime Minister seems too weak to break the logjam.
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Swaraj needs to reconcile her contradictory statements on this contentious issue that has rocked both Houses of Parliament for more than two weeks and led the Speaker to suspend 25 Congress MPs. The Congress has decided to boycott the Lok Sabha during the period of suspension of its MPs. It is a pity that our Prime Minister seems too weak to break the logjam.
S K Choudhury Bengaluru
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number