With sting in the tail, Amit Shah defends Sushma on Lalit Modi row

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Sunday defended External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping former IPL chairman receive the travel documents, while taking a jibe at the Congress for allowing other fugitives to escape the country.

"Sushma ji has already made her stand clear via twitter. The matter is quite simple. An Indian national had asked Sushma ji for her help so that his wife could undergo treatment. Sushma ji talked to a British MP to request that the national be helped if Britain's rules permit the same," Shah told ANI.

"I cannot understand why such a big controversy is being created. This is not a matter of moral ground. This is not similar to [Bofors scandal accused Ottavio] Quattrocchi or [former Union Carbide Corporation CEO Warren] Anderson being allowed to escape India. Some people are trying to turn this into a political matter, but their expectations are useless," he added.

Swaraj had earlier in the day said that she had taken a humanitarian view of 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.