And it begins....

[Hindustani78]

Lalit Modi visa row: Sushma Swaraj says she did not recommend travel documents for him - The Hindu


Says she had left it to British authorities to take a decision on his plea.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said she has not recommended travel documents for the former IPL honcho Lalit Modi who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for the his alleged role in money laundering. The Minister, whose resignation is being demanded by the Opposition for helping Mr. Lalit Modi, stressed that she had left it to British authorities to take a decision on his plea for documents.

On Saturday, replying to a tweet, Ms. Swaraj said: “You got it right. I am saying this time and again that I never requested or recommended travel documents for Lalit Modi”.

In response to questions on her involvement in securing documents for Mr. Modi, she tweeted: “I left this to the UK Government to decide under their own laws and regulations. And that is what they did.”

On June 14, 2015, the Minister had tweeted that sometime in July 2014, Mr. Lalit Modi had spoken to her about his wife suffering from cancer and her surgery that was fixed in Portugal, for which he had to be present in the hospital to sign the consent papers.

She had also tweeted that she had been informed that the U.K. government was prepared to give Mr. Lalit Modi travel documents, but they were restrained by a UPA government communication that this would spoil India-U.K. relations. “Taking a humanitarian view, I conveyed to the British High Commissioner that, British Government should examine the request of Lalit Modi as per British rules and regulations. If the British Government chooses to give travel documents to Lalit Modi – that will not spoil our bilateral relations,” Ms. Swaraj had earlier stated in her tweets.

But on Saturday, the Minister asserted that role had been incorrectly portrayed and that despite her offer to make a statement in Parliament, “falsehoods” are being spread. “I accepted a debate on the very first day of the Parliament session. Congress members are not allowing a debate,” she tweeted.

The first week of the monsoon session was a washout as an aggressive Opposition has been demanding the resignation of Ms. Swaraj for helping an “absconder”.

Replying to another question on why she has not addressed the press to clarify her stand, Ms. Swaraj said in her tweet: “As a Minister I am accountable to the Parliament. That is the only forum to inform the nation.” She also denied any special favour to the former IPL boss by stating: “I help people every day. That too on a single tweet” and also said that Mr. Lalit Modi’s wife had been suffering from cancer for the last 17 years and this was the 10th recurrence of cancer.

Lalit Modi's web of influence

• 1994
  First link with cricket. Becomes pan-India director of ESPN on 10-year contract. Sushma Swaraj’s husband Swaraj Kaushal is already Lalit Modi’s lawyer.
• 1999
  Joins the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. Thrown out within a year on bribery charges.
• 2004
  Vasundhara Raje becomes Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He uses his wife’s family friendship with her to get into Rajasthan Cricket Association under the name Lalit Kumar. Becomes president of RCA.
• 2005
  Rajasthan government takes over RCA, Modi becomes chairman of RCA. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar, N. Srinivasan and Co. take charge at BCCI. Modi inducted into BCCI working committee. Soon elevated to vice-president.
• 2007
  Subhash Chandra starts Indian Cricket League or ICL.
• 2008
  BCCI empowers Lalit Modi to start Indian Premier League or IPL. First IPL team auction held. Later, ED would question if he told winning bidders how much to bid by revealing bid amounts. This is the year Modi invests Rs. 11 crore in Niyant Heritage Hotels, owned by Dushyant Singh, son of Vasundhara Raje.
• 2008-2010
  In these two years, IPL grows rapidly. Many of Modi’s acts during this period come under ED scrutiny. For eg, did MSM, formerly Sony Entertainment, pay $80 million to World Sports Group to back out of contract? Did Modi get a $25 million cut from this? Did he use this to buy a jet? Did his wife invest Rs. 10 crore in Rajasthan-based Indian Heritage Hotels through a Mauritius-based company?
• 2010
  IPL expands to include more teams. Modi tries to block Kochi Tuskers’ bid because he is allegedly keen to back a Videocon-backed bid. He tweets about Shashi Tharoor’s then-girlfriend Sunanda Pushkar having an interest in the team. Shashi Tharoor is forced to resign as Minister of State for External Affairs. The ED starts investigating Modi and the cases pile up. Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri is Modi’s lawyer.
• 2011
  Modi removed from IPL. ED files eight charges. Modi flees country. Passage to London smoothed by Vasundhara Raje’s e-mail to Keith Vaz, British MP, which she requests is kept secret from Indian government. Modi passport revoked.
• 2013
  On Swaraj Kaushal’s request, Modi mails Keith Vaz asking for an admission in Sussex college for Sushma Swaraj’s nephew.
• 2014
  Modi wants to go to Portugal, ostensibly to visit wife hospitalised there. Sushma Swaraj writes to UK government, requesting for letter of passage for Modi. Two months later, the same hospital group, Champalimaud, signs an MoU with Rajasthan government.
  Meanwhile, Delhi High Court sets aside Modi’s passport revocation. Government does not appeal.
• 2015
  British newspaper Sunday Times does an exposé of Keith Vaz’s favours for Lalit Modi. Indian media picks up story. Skeletons tumble out.

 

[Hindustani78]

Did not urge UK to give travel docs to Lalit Modi: Sushma | Zee News

Last Updated: Monday, August 3, 2015 - 12:12

New Delhi: Breaking her silence, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said she had not made any request to the British government for issue of travel documents to controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi and asserted that all allegations against her were "baseless and unfounded".

Swaraj managed to speak a few sentences in the Rajya Sabha amid slogan-shouting by Congress members seeking fixing of accountability in the Lalitgate and Vyapam scam but could not complete her statement, as Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House till 1200 hours amidst the din.

Seizing on Kurien's statement that Prime Minister cannot respond unless a discussion as demanded by Anand Sharma (Cong) under Rule 267 by suspending the business is initiated, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said Swaraj would make a statement to initiate the debate in the absence of unwillingness of the Congress leader to initiate it.

Swaraj said she had conveyed on 'day one' through Jaitley that she was ready to respond to all charges being made against her.

The allegations of assisting Lalit Modi are "baseless and unfounded," she said, adding "I did not make any request to the British government for issue of travel documents to Lalit Modi."

She wanted to say more but Kurien adjourned the House amid vociferous protests from the Congress members, who moved into the Well the moment Swaraj rose to speak.

The Minister said for two weeks she has been coming to the House every day in the hope of being able to make a statement and clarify on the issue.

Earlier, Anand Sharma (Cong) said the House has been in a stalemate because of the government's "arrogance". "This House cannot be in order unless issues have been responded by the Prime Minister on fixing accountability and responsibility."

Government is not serious, he said demanding a response from the Prime Minister.

Kurien said, "unless you start the discussion, Prime Minister cannot respond."

This moment was seized upon by Jaitley who said if Sharma was unwilling to initiate a discussion, Swaraj will make a statement to start the discussion.

Congress members trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans seeking resignations of Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in connection with the Lalit Modi controversy and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the Vyapam scam.

PTI

 

[Hindustani78]

Lalit Modi linked to Prince Charles elephant charity: Report

London, Aug 9 (PTI)

Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, against whom a non-bailable warrant has been issued in a case of money laundering, gave at least USD 30,000 to a charity set up to protect elephants in India headed by Britain's Prince Charles, a media report said today.

Modi, who denies the allegations of money laundering, has helped fund the Elephant Family charity as one of its patrons, The 'Sunday Times' reported.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were last year made joint presidents of the charity set up by Mark Shand, Camilla's late brother.

The group is the largest British funder of the endangered Asian elephant and has many high-profile supporters working on creating safe corridors for elephants in northeast India.

Modi gave almost USD 30,000 to the organisation in October 2011, according to leaked documents seen by the newspaper.

A later payment of 5,000 pounds was made to Shand "for the purchase of artwork" in February 2013. Shand died in April last year after a fall outside a bar in New York.

Modi told the newspaper via his lawyer that "the charges made against him in India are politically motivated and without any foundation."

In November, the charity will have a group of high-profile celebrities take part in an auto-rickshaw race across India.

The 'Travels to My Elephant' campaign will see a fleet of 30 rickshaws race 500 kilometres as part of a planned "epic Indian adventure" across Madhya Pradesh to the elephant Tara's home at Kipling Camp.

The event is inspired by Shand's own rescue of Tara, which is recorded in his best-selling book 'Travels on my Elephant.'

Modi is listed as one of more than two dozen patrons on the charity's website alongside the Duchess of York, Sarah Fergusson, the former wife of Prince Andrew -- Prince Charles' brother.

Modi says he was appointed in 2008. The charity declined to say how much he had given in total, adding: "We have no comment to make until the outcome of the Indian legal process."

The former IPL chief had travelled to London in May 2010 after the event became embroiled in match-fixing allegations and illegal betting, saying he faced death threats from criminals.

A special Mumbai court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Modi in connection with a case of money laundering.

The 'Sunday Times' had earlier revealed in a series of articles how he was issued British travel papers after senior Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz intervened on his behalf with the UK's immigration authority.

The controversy has been dubbed 'Lalitgate' after it was alleged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may have also played a part in that travel request while in Opposition.