External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday reiterated in the Lok Sabha that she had made no request or recommendation to the British Government to facilitate travel documents for cricket administrator > Lalit Modi .
Citing the background of the case, she said: “All I did was help his wife — an Indian citizen who is not wanted by the law —to have > her husband by her side at a time when she was undergoing possible life-threatening treatment. If that is a sin, then I have sinned and am willing to accept any punishment decided by the House,” > Ms. Swaraj said even as BJP members and some non-NDA members heard her out in such silence that one could hear the pin drop.
According to Ms. Swaraj, all she did was inform the British Government that if they choose to give him travel documents in accordance with their laws, then it would not affect bilateral relations. “I want to ask Soniaji, what she would have done faced with a similar situation,” the Minister said after reading out from a letter written by Lalit Modi’s ailing wife seeking his presence by her side at that trying hour.
Ahead of making the statement, Ms. Swaraj clarified that she was not taking advantage of the absence of the Opposition; adding that she was open to a discussion once the parties demanding her resignation returned to the House.
Published - August 06, 2015 01:19 pm IST
