Vasundhara Raje, who was in Delhi this morning to attend the NITI Ayog meet returned to Jaipur without meeting the BJP top brass. As per TV reports, the Rajasthan Chief Minister had sought time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, but was denied an appointment.
Is BJP Having a Change of Heart?
As of last evening, news reports indicated that the top leadership had accepted Raje’s defence as PM Modi met BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday over the issue. On June 22, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had come out in unequivocal support of the Rajasthan Chief Minister, saying that Raje was “legally, logically and ethically completely correct”.
Allegation# 1: Helped Lalit Modi
In 2011, Raje allegedly signed a statement submitted to a UK court backing Lalit Modi’s immigration appeal. Raje was leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly the and one of the conditions in the affidavit were that her assistance would not become known to the Indian authorities. Although Modi has not been officially charged by any investigating agency, he is wanted in India for questioning for his alleged role in the 2010 IPL scam.
Raje’s Defence: Retracted Affidavit
On Friday, Raje said that the document which she signed in support of Modi’s immigration application to the UK Government was never produced in court as she had backed out of it later.
Allegation #2: Quid Pro Quo
The Quint was first to report on the possible link between an MoU signed between the Rajasthan government and the Lisbon hospital where Lalit Modi’s wife was treated. The Congress alleges this was part of a quid pro quo deal between the former IPL commissioner and the Rajasthan Chief Minister.
Raje Defence: Silence
Raje has maintained silence over the raging row even though her office has termed the allegations “untrue”, claiming that they were aimed at harming her politically.
Allegation #3: Raje’s Son in Business with Modi
Business ties between Raje’s son Dushyant Singh and Lalit Modi are reportedly being examined by the Enforcement Directorate. An Economic Times report says
Aperusal of publicly available documents and Registrar of Companies filings yield a complex picture of how the finances of (Dushyant) Singh’s Niyant Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd (NHHPL) are linked to Modi’s Ananda Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd (AHHPL).
Raje’s Defence: No Illegality
The state unit of the BJP claims that Modi’s investment in the chain of hotels owned by her son was legal and had been disclosed to authorities.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)