The Congress on Wednesday upped the ante against the BJP demanding the sacking of the two top women leaders of the ruling regime — Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje — even as it warned of launching a agitation if its demand was not met.
To begin with, the party has threatened a massive protest against the Rajasthan Chief Minister whose name has figured along with the External Affairs Minister, already in the thick of a political controversy to “help” former IPl commissioner lalit Modi.
While the Congress has been demanding immediate removal of Swaraj ever since the controversy erupted, it questioned the “conspiratorial silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress held Swaraj and Raje both guilty of “gross constitutional impropriety and blatant misuse of office”. While AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the BJP leadership, “instead of defending the indefensible” needed to sack both of them without delay, former Union Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot called for an agitation in the state until Raje is removed. Congress has been attacking Swaraj for ‘helping’ lalit Modi, who faces trial in India in several cases of financial irregularities, secure travel documents in UK.
“There is a clear-cut culpability on part of Swaraj and Raje under sections 107, 120-b, 166A, 172,173,177,217 of the Indian Penal Code. Raje also needs to be prima facie investigated for offences under Prevention of Corruption Act,” Surjewala said at the joint Press briefing at AICC. Party General Secretary Gurudas Kamat, in charge of Rajasthan and the State PCC chief Sachin Pilot also addressed.
Pilot announced that the party would launch an agitation in Rajasthan to demand resignation of the chief minister and alleged that lalit Modi, during the earlier tenure of Raje, was the “de facto” chief minister.
The party alleged that Swaraj could not have done all this without “the collective responsibility of the Cabinet” as told during a Press conference by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. “Responsibility and knowledge of Prime Minister is, thus writ large,” said Surjewala. When asked whether the Congress would appeal to all other Opposition parties to back its stand, he remarked “our appeal is only to 125 crore people of the country, including political parties, to stand with truth.” Congress maintained that Swaraj was “not alone involved” in the issue and “there is a larger conspiracy, whose pages are continuing to unfold day by day”. “In the last 72 hours, (lalit) Modigate scandal exposed murky dealings, willful lies, unearthing of secret documents, non disclosure of personal and business interests as also conflict of interest involving the topmost BJP leadership,” he alleged.