File picture of former IPL boss Lalit Modi.
The BJP today ridiculed the Congress allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being "soft" on tainted cricket boss Lalit Modi, who is wanted in India in corruption cases related to the Indian Premier League or IPL that he launched.
Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said it was a sign of Congress' "political bankruptcy," and "desperation", that it was "using Lalit Modi's tweets to fuel political agenda".
He also sought to know the Congress' response to Lalit Modi's tweets in July about meeting Priyanka Gandhi and the purported offer of a "relative" of Congress president to get him out of all criminal cases if he was willing to pay her.
On Monday evening, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had furnished what he claimed was an email sent by Lalit Modi in 2009 to an official of the Rajasthan Royals IPL franchise, promising that he was "very close" to Mr Modi, who was then Gujarat Chief Minister.
"Shantanu Chari of Rajasthan Royals wrote to Lalit Modi, saying they wanted to work out a key relationship," Mr Sibal read out from a sheaf of papers. "Same day, Lalit Modi replied, 'I'm meeting Narendra Modi on Sunday... He is very close to me."
He also alleged that the then Gujarat Chief Minister and his close aide Amit Shah, who is now BJP chief, had as the president and vice-president of the state's cricket association facilitated a meeting between Lalit Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani.
"This just shows the desperation of Congress that Rahul Gandhi makes untrue and baseless allegations in the morning, and then in the evening they level more baseless charges," Mr Javadekar said.
The Congress has disrupted Parliament proceedings all through the ongoing Monsoon Session, demanding the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje over what is now called the Lalitgate.
This morning, Mr Gandhi, who is the Congress vice president, said Parliament will function only when "Sushma Swaraj discloses details how much money has been deposited in her family's account by Lalit Modi."