New Delhi:
The BJP says that a detailed inquiry must determine whether parliamentarians have written to President Obama, urging him not to rescind a ban on a visa for
Narendra Modi.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that "more than half of the MPs (who are signatories) have denied writing such a letter. It is important to catch those who forged signatures."
Sitaram Yechury of the Left has said that his signature, which appears on the controversial letter, appears to be "a cut-and-paste job." (
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Two letters signed by members of both houses of Parliament, originally written to President Obama late last year, were re-faxed to the White House on Sunday. They were sent by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC).
The letters are aimed at stultifying the effort of BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who is in the US, to persuade Washington to lift the ban on Mr Modi's travel to America. In 2005, the US denied Mr Modi a visa, citing "the violation of religious freedoms" in the communal riots that ravaged his home state in his first term as Gujarat Chief Minister.
The BJP says that attempts to lobby against Mr Modi in the US reflect a desperation among other politicians who know they cannot combat his growing popularity among voters at home.
"External help to contain Shri Narendra Modi? Politically these 65 MPs have failed to engage with him," tweeted party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman. She said the letter, allegedly signed by 65 MPs, seeks "A third umpire in the USA" for a political match at home.
Mr Modi was recently made the campaign-in-charge for the BJP, a crucial post ahead of the national elections due by May. The Gujarat Chief Minister is also seen as the frontrunner for his party's prime ministerial candidate.