Documents released by Lalit Modi’s lawyer show that Vasundhara Raje supported Lalit Modi’s immigration application to the UK in 2011. According to reports, Raje was a secret witness in Modi’s immigration documents.
On Monday, Lalit Modi’s lawyer claimed in during a press conference that Modi had followed all legal procedures to acquire his travel documents.
According to the document, Vasundhara says, ” I make this statement in support of any immigration application that Lalit Modi makes, do so on the strict condition that my assistance will not become known to the Indian authorities.”
She then goes on to highlight her political pedigree stating that her mother was the founding member of the BJP and Madhavrao Scindia a senior political leader.
Since this story broke, reporters have been camping outside her house in Jaipur. Vasundhra, however, briefly spoke to ANI, but denied any knowledge of the leaked documents of she being Lalit Modi’s secret witness.
She said, “Of course I’ve known the family (of Lalit Modi), but I don’t know what documents people are talking about.”
Earlier, Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh said that she was kept in dark over Sushma Swaraj’s ‘request’ to British government to issue travel documents to Lalit Modi.
A report in Indian Express quoted her as saying, “I knew nothing about this… Zero… I have nothing more to say.”
Singh, as foreign secretary, was responsible for UK matters among other countries and, therefore, should have been the first to be consulted on a matter as sensitive as this.
Sujatha Singh was removed unceremoniously by the BJP government at the centre five months before her stint as the foreign secretary.
The External Affairs Ministry under the UPA government had revoked Lalit Modi’s passport in 2010 following an investigation into charges of money laundering and misappropriation of funds.
Sushma Swaraj has been in the eye of storm after it was revealed that she had allegedly committed an act of conflict of interest by requesting the British authorities to issue travel documents to Modi, who was wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in multi-crore scandal.