levelling fresh allegations, lalit Modi on Wednesday sought to drag Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BJP leader Varun Gandhi in the escalating row involving the controversial former IPl chief. Modi alleged that Varun had met him at his house in london and offered a deal to “settle” matters with Sonia Gandhi, a charge dubbed by the BJP MP as “baseless” and “nonsense”.
“Mr @varungandhi80 came to see me at my house a few years ago and said he can settle everything in @INCIndia with his aunt(Sonia). He wanted me to meet her sister from Italy. I heard him, next I heard from our common friend who introduced us that Auntie wants 60 million dollars. Told them whaaaat are u nuts go HKG a kite. Can he deny that. I hope he does,” Modi alleged in a series of tweets. Vehemently denying the charge, Varun told PTI, “This is absolutely baseless and it is beneath my dignity to respond to this nonsense.”
The BJP also came to Varun’s defence, but sought an explanation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Varun Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are in different parties and the world knows about the ties between the two families,” BJP Spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma questioned Sonia Gandhi on the charges of money demands made to settle matters for him and said, “Sonia Gandhi should answer on the allegations made by Modi.”
In another twist, a fresh controversy involving External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in connection with her links to lalit Modi erupted on Wednesday after it emerged that the former IPl chief allegedly offered her husband a position on the board of one of his family-run firms.
Sushma’s husband Swaraj Kaushal was offered the position of director to alternate for the controversial former IPl chief on the board of Indofil Industries, an integrated chemical company. KK Modi, lalit’s father and CMD of Indofil, said the proposal was withdrawn before it could be brought for consideration by the board. “So the board never considered that request. That’s the current situation,” he said.
“lalit didn’t give him (Swaraj Kaushal) power but a proposal that Kaushal be appointed as alternate director of company,” KK Modi said, adding “(when) he’s not on the board so where is the conflict of interest”.
Kaushal acknowledged that he had been offered a position on the Indofil board. Stating that he is a lawyer for lalit Modi for over 20 years, Kaushal said he was offered to be alternate director on Indofil board but he did not give his consent and that the request was withdrawn.
Congress again trained its guns on Sushma Swaraj, asking her to come clean on the lalit Modi issue and asked the prime minister to break his “deafening silence” on the matter. “Sushma Swaraj must tell the people of the country how many times she has met lalit Modi or if any of her family members had been in touch with the fugitive,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.