Lalit Modi visa row: Govt, BJP chorus in Sushma Swaraj’s defence

Amid a raging controversy over India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s decision to help former IPL impresario Lalit Modi procure British travel documents on “humanitarian grounds”, the government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly rallied to her defence, asserting that she did nothing wrong.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly stood by Mrs Swaraj, who has been facing a blistering campaign by the Congress party asking for her resignation. In a robust assertion of solidarity, senior Cabinet ministers have spoken in support of the low-key foreign minister, who is widely recognised as one of the most effective ministers in the Modi cabinet.

Two days after Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended Swaraj’s action, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has now rallied to her support, saying she acted “bona fide” and with “good intentions” and the entire government and party were one on the issue.

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