File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah met last night to discuss a mega political controversy that has engulfed the ruling party in connection with former IPL chief Lalit Modi, and united the opposition against it.
Sources say the two leaders discussed strategy to counter the opposition's attacks on Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who helped Lalit Modi obtain emergency travel papers in Britain last year and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is also facing allegations of impropriety.
Their battle plan may include speeding up investigations against Lalit Modi and "decisive action" to blunt opposition attacks before next month's monsoon session of Parliament. The Enforcement Directorate has started investigating new allegations against Lalit Modi, who has been accused of corruption linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL) that he created.
Sources say the government does not want the Lalit Modi scandal to derail its push for key reforms in Parliament, which include the stalled bills for Goods and Services Tax and changes in the way farm land is acquired for key projects.
The ruling party is also worried, say sources, that its image has taken a hit.
The BJP has come out in support of Ms Swaraj and backed her assertion that she helped Lalit Modi on "humanitarian grounds" so he could travel to Portugal for his wife's cancer surgery - a claim that has been mocked as a "tearjerker" by the Congress.
The party has apparently decided not to speak on Vasundhara Raje until "facts are ascertained" on her alleged secret witness statement in favour of Lalit Modi's immigration application to the UK in 2011. BJP sources have said that the allegations are seriously damaging, though removing her is not on the table, given her strong support base in Rajasthan.
What could prove to be more damning is a
business deal between her son, Dushyant Singh, and Lalit Modi.
The opposition has directly attacked Prime Minister Modi and questioned his silence on the controversy.
"The silence of the prime minister is deafening. He must tell the people of India about his views," said Congress leader CP Joshi on Thursday.