Govt should ensure Lalit Modi returns to face probe: Chidambaram

Congress leader asks the govt to release the letters exchanged between him as Finance Minister and the Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne

Rejecting allegations of vendetta levelled against him and the UPA, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today demanded that the government should ensure that Lalit Modi returns to India to face the probe by Enforcement Directorate on various charges, including money laundering.

Addressing a press conference, he said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's action in helping the tainted former IPL boss get travel documents from the UK was in violation of rules and a case of favouritism shown to someone she knew.

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He also demanded as to who decided not to appeal against the Delhi High Court decision to restore the passport of Modi last year as normally a reversing decision is always challenged in a higher court.

The Congress leader wanted the government to release the letters exchanged between him as Finance Minister and the Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne in which he had urged for sending Modi back to India since he was facing criminal charges here.

He said after the reply to his first letter, he had written a second letter couched in stronger words to Osborne that Modi was facing investigations in India, his passport has been revoked, he had no right to live in the UK and he should be sent back to India.

Chidambaram raised the question if Swaraj wanted to help Modi as a humanitarian gesture as was being claimed why did she not write to the Indian High Commission and ask for the issue of Indian travel documents to him instead of recommending issue of UK travel documents.