Punjab Congress on Monday lashed out at the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her ‘humanitarian gesture’ towards controversial Indian Premier league (IPl) creator lalit Modi while ignoring 39 Punjabis stranded in Iraq since past several months.
“No minister in the Government is expected to exhibit such class fixation and that too for a person wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in cases of fraud, money laundering and similar other economic offences,” said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa.
Bajwa, while participating in the party’s mass contact programme in Baba Bakala constituency, said, “In case lalit Modi was without documents when his wife needed his attention who was to undergo lifesaving surgery, he himself is to be blamed as it was his option to dodge the investigation against him and slip out of the country leading to the cancellation of his passport.”
“One fails to understand as to what human aspect was involved in the External Affairs Minister going out of way to intervene with a foreign government to get him travel documents, until and unless there was some quid pro quo,” he said.
PPCC chief pointed out that the beleaguered relatives of 39 Punjabis stranded in Iraq had made several rounds of Delhi but they failed to elicit any information from the government. “I wish she had shown even one tenth of the interest she had taken in lalit Modi case to help these families who have a right to know about the fate of their kith and kin who did not flee from the country but went out for greener pastures,” said Bajwa.
Bajwa asserted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi “must make a statement as it is a serious issue involving a member of his cabinet helping a fugitive which is a crime in itself”.
He demanded that Swaraj must be “sacked without delay” as no explanation from her could justify her intervention in this case.
“Moreover, Modi has been talking of getting back black money and here is a person who is involved in money laundering who got all the help from the External Affairs Minister despite the fact that the entire case is known to her,” added Bajwa.
Besides, Bajwa hoped that the decision to implement one rank one pension (OROP) will not be a “jumla” as it was incase of the black money to be brought back to India.
Taking the Modi government to task for cheating ex-servicemen who had been promised implementation of OROP, a decision earlier taken by the UPA government, Bajwa called upon the Prime Minister to implement the decision on this issue without any delay as the issue was very sensitive and the government should not force ex-servicemen to come to the streets.