Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over her role in facilitating the clearance of travel documents for former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
"Mr. Modi should sack Sushma Swaraj. Mr. Modi is standing behind Mr. (Lalit) Modi. Who is Sushma Swaraj ji? She is a minor Minister in the government. There's only one man who is running this country and this government, that's Mr. Narendra Modi," said Rahul.
"Mr. Lalit Modi is a symbol for black money...Mr. Modi is standing behind Mr. Modi. And Mr. Narendra Modi should stop protecting Mr. Lalit Modi," he added.
The Congress had earlier alleged that Lalit Modi has a connection with Prime Minister Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah.
"It seems like Lalit Modi has connections with the Prime Minister and Amit Shah. We want to know what the relationship between the Prime Minister, Amit Shah and Lalit Modi is," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewaala said at a media briefing.
The Congress party had also protested at the residence of Swaraj in New Delhi, demanding her resignation for facilitating travel documents of Lalit Modi in the United Kingdom.
The slogan-shouting Congress members also burnt Swaraj's effigy and tried to break a security cordon near her residence. But policemen foiled their attempt.
Swaraj had on Sunday said she had taken a humanitarian view of Lalit Modi's case since his wife was suffering from cancer.
She further said that British MP Keith Vaz had spoken to her on the same, adding she believes that giving an Indian citizen 'emergency travel documents' cannot spoil relations between India and the UK.
Vaz, who is facing an inquiry in the UK over the role he played in Modi receiving his travel papers, said that he had checked with the Indian Government before taking any action and added that he had received a 'no objection' from New Delhi.
