Not violated any rules, Sushma tells BJP MPs

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday told party MPs she had not violated rules when she told the British authorities that the ties between the two countries would not be affected if former IPL chief Lalit Modi was issued travel documents.

As the Opposition disrupted Parliament for the second consecutive day demanding her resignation, Swaraj, for the first time, gave her side of the story to the party lawmakers at a weekly meeting which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and many senior cabinet ministers.

Swaraj had found herself in the middle of a controversy when a British newspaper revealed that she had helped the fallen cricket czar obtain travel documents in the UK. It also emerged that her husband had been Lalit Modi’s lawyer for more than 20 years, inviting accusations of conflict of interest.

The minister, who spoke for about 20 minutes, said there was no “technical, legal or moral” violation in her telling the UK authorities that India’s relationship with UK would not be affected if Lalit Modi was granted travel documents as per British rules, sources said.