Lalit Modi row: Sushma Swaraj’s defence is ‘hogwash’, says Manish Tewari

New Delhi, Aug 6 : Congress leader Manish Tewari on Thursday brushed off External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s passionate defence in the Lalit Modi-gate as complete ‘hogwash’.

He accused Swaraj of ripping apart the Indian Constitution, something that she had sworn to protect and defend.

“She has committed a morally unpardonable crime. And her crime is as a minister of the union, she has aided and abetted an Indian fugitive from the law,” Tewari told ANI here.

“If she is so filled with emotions, then why is the Indian embassy not giving visas to those Indians who fled to Canada and America and want to return home? They left the country on less suspicious bases. Why is she calling them fugitives?” he questioned.

The External Affairs Minister today clarified her actions, saying there was nothing wrong in helping Lalit Modi’s wife on ‘humanitarian grounds’.

“I want to say that before asking how was it done and why was it done, tell me what did I do? Lalit Modi’s wife is suffering from cancer for the last 17 years. She was getting treated at a research center in Portugal. She has been diagnosed with cancer for the tenth time, and doctors said that this time her cancer was life threatening. The medical institute said Mrs. Modi’s treatment is life threatening and her husband must be present. That is the background of ‘humanitarian grounds’,” she said. (ANI)