Lalit Modi-Sushma Swaraj row: Modi opens cans of worms, claims Vasundhara Raje, Sharad Pawar, other politicians helped him

Opening a can of worms that could shake up India's political establishment, ex-IPL chief and fugitive Lalit Modi has claimed that Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje gave a written statement supporting his immigration into UK in 2011. He claims the Raje and Modi families were close for the last 30 years. Modi has said that Raje even accompanied his cancer-striken wife to Portugal. 

Speaking to Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, Modi claimed that Vasundhara Raje volunteered to be his witness for the ex-IPL chief's immigration application. Modi is currently holidaying in Montenegro.

But Vasundhara Raje has denied recommending Lalit Modi's application for immigration, saying that if this has happened, it is without her knowledge. "I have always known Modi's family, but I have no idea about these documents", said the Rajasthan CM to NDTV. Critically, the documents do not carry her signature.

Modi also claimed that his family was close to Sushma Swaraj's family for 20 years. "I am very close to lot of politicians. I have a family relationship and a legal relationship with the Swaraj family", said Modi in the interview. However, he denied that there was any political influence involved in getting his passport. He also said that he had never paid for any visit by Sushma Swaraj, nor met her alone in London. But Modi said Swaraj's husband and daughter had provided legal services "free of cost" to his family. He endorsed the BJP line that Swaraj had helped him out of 'humanitarian concerns' as his wife was very ill with cancer.

He denied that he ever extended any hospitality to British MP Keith Vaz. 

Modi added that the ED should prove any charges against him, and alleged magnate Rupert Murdoch's hand in the leak about Sushma Swaraj. Modi said that Congressman Rajiv Shukla also helped him with the travel papers, putting a new spin to the controversy. The ex-IPL commissioner further named Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, saying they helped him as well.

In his interview with India Today, Modi claimed he had 'won at multiple stages (sic)' in UK courts in the cases against him. When asked why he had never appeared in court, he said he had 'appeared through my lawyers'. Alleging collusion between the UPA government and the UK government, Modi said P Chidambaram tried to get him deported to India during the term of the UPA government, but there were no grounds for doing so. Modi claimed the only reason Chidambaram acted was out of political vendetta after Modi exposed Shashi Tharoor, who then had to resign from the government.

The controversial Modi further claimed that his wife was taken to Portugal because of the 'revolutionary cancer treatment' available there. Amazingly, he claimed that the family then celebrated his wife's recovery in Ibiza just three days later. According to Modi, Vasundhara Raje had accompanied his wife twice to Portugal.

Lalit Modi further alleged that the 'entire UPA government was against me' and that it acted in collusion with the UK government to block his residency in UK.

But Congress leader Rajiv Shukla has denied any involvement in helping Lalit Modi, saying he had not spoken to Modi in 3 years. Shukla said Modi was lying.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar contradicted Modi, saying that he along with Praful Patel actually tried to convince Lalit Modi to come back to India and face the law. Pawar said he had told Modi they would try to help him in the courts.

But Congress leader and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot demanded the resignation of Vasundhara Raje. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi hit out at PM Narendra Modi, holding him responsible for protecting Lalit Modi.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh expressed surprise that PM Modi has not spoken out on the Lalit Modi-Sushma Swaraj controversy. He claimed that PM Modi, who was then the chief of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) was close to Lalit Modi, and that the ex-IPL commissioner wanted to create a Gujarat IPL team.

Former J &K CM Omar Abdullah also reacted to the controversy.

How many people is he going to throw under the bus here? #ModiToRajdeep

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) June 16, 2015

Meanwhile, ex-foreign secretary Sujata Singh said she did not recall 'a single paper trail' related to Lalit Modi's immigration to UK.

Earlier, reports emerged that the MEA and the Finance Ministry are now embroiled in a quarrel over not challenging the Delhi HC order granting passport to Lalit Modi.

The fresh controversy began when on Tuesday evening, reports emerged that Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje backed Lalit Modi's application for emigration to the UK.

The comments of the tainted former IPL Commissioner Modi assume significance because it came hours after it was reported that Raje had given a "Witness Statement" in August 2011 to British authorities supporting his case for immigration in Britain which he has made his base after fleeing from India - where he faces serious charges of money laundering and FEMA violations.

After this news broke, Congress had upped its ante, now calling for both Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje to be sacked from their positions.

Before Raje had been dragged into the raging controversy, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh came out in strong support of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Modi row. Jaitley said Swaraj acted "bona fide" and with "good intentions" and the entire government and party were one on the issue.

"All allegations levelled are baseless. Her (Swaraj) statement and that of the party President that whatever she did was with good intentions.

"She acted bona fide. The entire government and the party are one on the issue. There should be no doubt on this," Jaitley said at a joint press conference with Home Minister Rajnath Singh held in the home ministry.

Jaitley's defence of his cabinet colleague came two days after party President Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh had asserted that Swaraj had acted on 'humanitarian' considerations in the matter of helping former IPL boss Lalit Modi get travel documents from Britain.

Modi has taken refuge in London for over five years after the Enforcement Directorate levelled money laundering and other charges against him involving an amount of Rs. 1,700 crore and wants him for investigations in India.

Significantly, ahead of the press conference called to announce a flood relief package for Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley, Singh and Swaraj met at Singh's chamber in North Block and held discussions lasting an hour.

Speculation has been rife over the "silence" of Jaitley after a raging controversy broke out on Sunday over Swaraj's help to Lalit Modi.

Asked whether Swaraj had acted on her own to help Modi, Jaitley said all ministers in charge of various departments were capable of taking decisions and in all decisions taken by the government there is a collective responsibility.

There have been insinuations by some party insiders suggesting that Jaitley could have a hand in Swaraj's troubles. Party MP Kirti Azad had tweeted about a "snake in the grass" suggesting an insider job. Jaitley parried a question as to who was the "aasteen ka saanp" (snake in the grass) which Azad had tweeted about. "Ask the next question," was his repartee.