New Delhi: BJP today asserted that it “fully supports” Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is engulfed in the Lalit Modi controversy, rejecting Opposition demands for her resignation.
As the Congress upped the ante pressing for Raje's removal, BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma told reporters here, “BJP fully supports Vasundhara Raje who is our tallest leader in Rajasthan. Congress is targeting our popular leaders and we stand by her.”
Sharma's assertion came after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaitley, who on Thursday said that “nobody is tainted”, is understood to have discussed various aspects of the raging controversy including the legal implications and the political fallout.
The Finance Minister later had a meeting with BJP President Amit Shah and is believed to have deliberated upon the party's strategy to brazen out the massive row involving Raje as well as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Changing its tack today, the party said even if Raje had backed the immigration appeal of Lalit Modi, former IPL chairman, she had not testified in court on his behalf and hence the Opposition criticism of her supporting a man wanted for financial crimes in India was “misplaced”.
“Did she go and depose there (in the UK)? No. There was no action that finally took place of her behalf,” said BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli, adding that Raje's statement was made in 2011 “in her personal capacity, not in her capacity as leader of Opposition in Rajasthan.”
Earlier in the day, Vijay Goel, Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, also met Raje at her residence. The reason of his visit was not disclosed by the CM's office.
Meanwhile, after coming out of the Chief Minister residence in the afternoon, Parnami criticised media.
”You are doing false propaganda... making wrong allegations... has no substance.”
