PM Narendra Modi skips Lalit Modi row, invites opposition attack

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipping the LaMo issue from his national broadcast on Sunday was seen by the Opposition as a “silent endorsement of the scandal”, with the Congress warning that Modi’s silence and inaction against ministers such as Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje could result in an agitation by the people demanding the resignation of the PM himself.

The Congress leaders see in PM’s refusal or inability to act against its erring ministers an opportunity to launch a nationwide campaign against Modi and his government as well as to keep the political powder dry for the Parliament session.

The AICC has directed its state units to conduct a sustained campaign against the LaMo issue, said people aware of the matter, with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi ready to chip in once he is back from abroad.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said PM’s ‘Maan Ki Baat” (matters of mind) was silent on the main ‘desh ki baat” (national issue). “It is in PM’s own interest to break his silence and take action against people involved, or else this incident will haunt him.”

He said the government’s refusal to entertain an RTI enquiry into the LaMo issue only confirmed the belief that the delay in appointing information commissioners by the NDA regime was a deliberate ploy to stem the flow of information on such matters. Azad also criticized the PM, saying that Modi is “now running away from poll promises” he had made -- be it bringing back black money, zero tolerance against corruption, transparency, etc.

“The citizens of the country are asking why the PM failed to write to the British PM about bringing back Lalit Modi; they want to know what actions have been taken against the foreign minister or the Rajasthan CM. Every hour, there’s new evidence popping up against the Rajasthan chief minister,” Azad said.