New Delhi:
In a signed statement submitted to a UK court in 2011, top BJP leader Vasundhra Raje unequivocally backed the immigration appeal of cricket tycoon Lalit Modi, who fled India in 2010 after being named in many corruption cases.
Here are 5 quotes from her affidavit released today by the opposition Congress, which is demanding her resignation:
Here are five points from the affidavit
I make this statement in support of any immigration application that Lalit Modi makes, but do so on the strict condition that my assistance will not become known to the Indian authorities.
Lalit broke up many of the old, clan based strangleholds and politicized structures that had held cricket back for so my years in India. Lalit recognized the huge commercial potential of cricket and set about releasing that potential. The results were astonishing and I credit Lalit for having revolutionized cricket in both Rajasthan and later, across the whole of India. By leading this revolution from Rajasthan during my tenure as chief minister, Lalit became widely recognized as someone closely associated with me.
Lalit's close connection to me as resulted in huge animosity towards him from the Congress party, both at the Rajasthan and national levels. The political attack which is currently underway against Lalit in India is in my opinion, designed to destroy Lalit's reputation, to keep him out of Rajasthan cricket and politics and to thereby discredit me.
I am further aware that Lalit, in the context of his role as IPL founder and chairman, has also had major run-ins with prominent central government Congress party ministers - I will not comment upon those conflicts as they have never involved me directly. What is clear, however, is that they have only served to exacerbate Lalit's difficulties with the ruling Congress party.
Given my close understanding of, and involvement in, Indian politics, I have absolutely no doubt that the broad full-frontal attack that Lalit is currently facing in India is politically motivated.
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