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Journalism of Courage
The Congress on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over allegations that they helped scam-tainted former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
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At a meeting in Udaipur, party leaders passed a resolution demanding the immediate resignations of Raje and Swaraj, Rajasthan Congress Committee chief Sachin Pilot said.
Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also slammed Raje over her ties with Modi. “The Raje-Modi alliance was very well-known in the state during her previous stint.Without her tacit support, it would not have been possible for anyone to govern from Rambagh Hotel like that,” he said.
The party is planning to gherao the CM’s residence on Thursday to press for its demand for her resignation, sources said.
Defending the CM, BJP state president Ashok Parnami maintained that the papers, which indicate her alleged involvement, have no authenticity, as clarified by Raje herself Tuesday night. The BJP leader claimed that this was a “political conspiracy” against the CM.
Meanwhile, state Health Minister Rajendra Rathore said he took full responsibility for the MoU between the Rajasthan government and the Lisbon-based Champalimaud Foundation — where Modi’s wife is being treated for cancer — to set up a cancer research institute in Jaipur. “We had set up a team to zero in on cancer speciality institutes to come up with a low-cost centre for the state. Champalimaud Foundation, known for its good work, was the unanimous choice. There was no other consideration. We did not know about anything else,” he said.
