Amid Opposition demands for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the government on Wednesday categorically stated that the duo won’t be stepping down.
“No no, ministers don’t resign on this. This is NDA, not UPA,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in response to questions at a press briefing.
The Congress and other parties have been demanding the resignations of Swaraj and Raje for helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi, who is accused of corruption and money laundering.
When a reporter pointed out that the Congress has threatened not to let Parliament function if the ministers fail to quit, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Our ministers don’t even do what UPA ministers used to do.”
Prasad was apparently hinting at involvement of several UPA ministers in corruption.
Earlier today, another Union minister, Arun Jaitley, stated that the Central government will “play by the rule book” in the Lalit Modi controversy and make sure that absolute standards of probity are maintained.
Jaitley said there is “no question at all” about the government going on the back foot on this issue, as it has done “nothing wrong”.
Raje and Swaraj have been facing flak for allegedly helping former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in procuring travel documents in the UK, a country which he has made his home to avoid legal processes in India.
Modi, 49, travelled to London in 2010 after the Indian Premier League got embroiled in allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting.
