Lalit Raje row compared with vadra deal: BJP trying to put up a brave front

Shah had earlier refused to meet Raje, sending quit-signal over the exposed links with Lalit Modi.

New Delhi: The stoic top brass of the BJP staged a climb-down here on Friday in its 'fight against taint' and toed the Congress line - a la Vadragate- and defended the Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, categorically.

This comes after a meeting of the PM Narendra Modi and the party president, Amit Shah. Earlier, Amit Shah refused to meet Raje, sending quit-signals over the exposed links with Lalit Modi who is on the run. The BJP has been defending the Foreign Affairs, Minister, Sushma Swaraj for aiding Lalit in securing his Visa purportedly to visit his wife undergoing treatment in Portugal last year.

As the ghosts from the past began to haunt her and the BJP, the Congress quickly geared up to demand her resignation. In came another exposure, this time linking Raje and her son with Lalit, the opposition only sharpened its knives.

The similarities between the Vadra-DLF deal that led to a furor in the past and the one between Lalit and Raje son Dushyant, are striking. Dushyant was a beneficiary to the tune ot Rs 11.8 crore from Lalit Modi via the Mauritius route. Lalit Modi's Ananda Heritage had put Rs 11.8 crore in Dushyant Singh's venture, Niyantl, even though the latter and his wife's share is almost worthless. The said Ananda Heritage itself is shown in a bogus address as usual. At this point, it was believed that the BJP would force at least Raje out, if not Sushma as financial implications had come to the fore.

Though what tilted the scales in favour of Raje now in the BJP to so staunchly defend her is not out in the open, it is being suspected that the BJP veteran, L K Advani's indirect attack on Narendra Modi and his authoritarian tendencies could have mellowed down both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah a bit. Action against Raje and Sushma would have led to more tongue-wagging and more disapprovals perhaps for Modi-Shah combine, it is being suspected.

Addressing media at the BJP headquarters here, its spokespersons, Sudhanshu Trivedi, took to technicalities in defending Raje fully. There was no corruption and no impropriety on part of either Raje or Sushma, he asserted and also claimed that the authenticity of the documents produced against Raje was not verified.

Snubbing the Congress, which has not only launched an acidic attack on Raje and Sushma over the issue but also launched 'an indefinite' protest against Raje in Rajasthan seeking her resignation, Trivedi said the charges against her were baseless and no substantive documents have been produced against her by the Opposition.

Moreover, he went historical to the hysterical response of the Congress to the exposure by asking "under whose government did IPL corruption take place ?"

As for Sushma Swaraj, the BJP and the Government were seized of the matter, he said refusing to add anything other than what the party president and the Home and Finance Ministers have already spoken.

It must be noted that Raje had cancelled her scheduled trip to Anandpur Sahib in Punjab to meet Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh at a function.

Advani's attack perhaps has emboldened her, it is being felt.

However, the game is not yet over for the BJP or the Congress. It would drag on till the Lalit Modi issue is settled once for all with his arrest and prosecution.

It is being said in the BJP circles that Modi would turn his attention to bring Lalit Modi to book soon.

Meanwhile, the Congress spokesperson, Jairam Ramesh asked Narendra Modi to break his 'Lalit-aasan" and do the needful including the sacking of both the BJP leaders involved with Lalit Modi issue.