Amid Lalit Modi Controversy, Vasundhara Raje Reaches Delhi for NITI Aayog Meeting, Likely to Meet Top BJP Leaders

Embattled Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has reahced Delhi, to attend a NITI Aayog meeting. She is also likely to meet top BJP leaders even as opposition clamour continues for her resignation over her links with tainted cricket boss Lalit Modi.

Ms Raje’s visit comes a day after the central leadership of her party backed her, after holding out on voicing its support for days. The Rajasthan BJP has refuted all allegations against her, saying the document which she signed in support of Modi’s immigration application to the UK government was never produced in court as she had backed out of it later.

The state unit of the party also claimed that Modi’s investment in the chain of hotels owned by her son was legal and had been disclosed to authorities.

The top leadership of the party is learnt to have accepted Raje’s defence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday over the issue.

Congress has accused Raje of quid pro quo in helping Modi and launched a relentless attack on her, demanding her resignation.

Raje has maintained silence over the raging row even though her office has termed the allegations “untrue”, claiming that they were aimed at harming her politically.

BJP for its part has said it “fully supports” her. The party has called her its tallest and most popular leader in the state, where she has led the party to its biggest Assembly and Lok Sabha wins.

At a press conference in BJP office in Jaipur yesterday, Rajasthan Medical and Health Minister RS Rathore had said that Raje will also attend a NITI-Aayog sub-committee meeting tomorrow.

Raje was scheduled to visit London from June 27 to July 2 but cancelled her UK tour early this week in view of the NITI Aayog meet.