The current topic of discussion Lalit Gate brings to the fore the overlap between politics and sports in India. Sports should be independent of vested interests and conflicts of interest. Couple of days back Time of India carried an article titled "BJP in disarray" where party leaders including R K Singh and former Union Home Secretary have questioned the party's stand to defend Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje in Lalit Modi scandal. All this has come to public domain after the Sunday TIMES in UK came out with big story which stated British Labour MP of Indian origin has on Sushma Swaraj's to expedite Lalit Modi's travel permit. Swaraj had sent a written request to Vaz to issue the required documents to Lalit Modi to travel to UK to sign the papers pertaining to his ailing wife. And the problem here is that it had been discreetly done, keeping her own Ministry in dark and it is known fact that Lalith Modi is a fugitive having about 16 cases pending against him, for money laundering to the tune is 1700 crores and he fled to UK in 2010 against whom a red corner notice is pending since UPA's time. And Modi himself confessed openly that Raje had helped him to get the extended stay in UK and not only she had sent a written communication she even travelled with his wife to Portugal in her private capacity.
the MPs and Ministers who are supposed to concentrate more on legislation are only closely moving or hobnobbing with fugitives and criminals,which led to sordid state of affairs in the Indian context.
The series of charges levelled against Swaraj and Raje may or may not involve criminality but it is established beyond doubt that it is grave political impropriety by the both BJP leaders. Infact there seems to be conflict of interest arising out of links between Lalit Modi and the two BJP leaders along with their families, which only compounds the damage as both of them have engaged clandestinely with British authorities to help a fugitive from Indian law enforcing agencies.
The behaviour of senior leaders is not at all acceptable as it makes their position untenable even if there was no proven conflict of interest or any murky business deals. How can any one justify that Swaraj's lawyer daughter seeking the revocation of Modi' s passport in court when her own Ministry was opposing. Nor can anyone justify the inflow of funds from this cricket Czar to a loss making and dormant firm of Dushyant, son of Mrs Raje.
The root cause of all this controversy relates to the nexus between politicians, sportsmen and bureaucrats.
I would say that this issue is threatening Narendra Modi's message of making India an incorruptuble nation. But The PM and senior leaders silence on this may lead to various wrong assumptions and therefore it is high time for Modi government to demonstrate that it will not fall for this play as far as the investigation on Lalit Modi regarding his taxes and foreign exchange issues while perusing the probes.
