'Desperate' Congress taking anti-woman view by attacking Sushma: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday lashed out at a 'desperate' Congress party for trying to keep the issue concerning External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj burning and said the opposition is taking an anti-woman view by attacking a woman leader.

"It is desperate and clutching at the straws, trying to keep this issue burning. The government and the party have spelled out its stance and have completely supported the humanitarian consideration that was taken by the Foreign Affairs Minister. I think the Congress Party would be doing this service to itself by continuing this attack because in the political spectrum there is a consensus that humanitarian consideration, that too involving the health situation of a woman should warrant compassionate decisions and compassionate grounds," BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told ANI.

"By persisting with this attack on Sushma Swaraj, I think the Congress Party is taking an anti-woman view by attacking a woman leader and by opposing a relief that was given to a woman who was in a very difficult health situation afflicted with Cancer," he added.

Narasimha Rao further said the Congress, which is headed by a woman party president, must take a re-look at the whole situation and must stop its anti-woman stance that they have taken.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had yesterday come out in support of Swaraj. He fully endorsed Swaraj's position while maintaining that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued showcause notices to Lalit Modi in 15 cases, the investigations of which are over.

Jaitley said that Swaraj acted bona fide.

"The entire government and the party are one on the issue. There should be no doubt on this," he added.

Swaraj, who has been facing criticism for helping the former IPL boss in procuring the travel documents from the UK, had on Sunday said she had taken a humanitarian view of Lalit Modi's case since his wife was suffering from cancer.

She further said that British MP Keith Vaz had spoken to her on the same, adding she believes that giving an Indian citizen 'emergency travel documents' cannot spoil relations between India and the UK.

Vaz, who is facing an inquiry in the UK over the role he played in Modi receiving his travel papers, said that he had checked with the Indian Government before taking any action and added that he had received a 'no objection' from New Delhi.