Handling a crisis

Much of this past week, the Congress kept up the pressure on the Narendra Modi government to sack External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi get travel documents. It also questioned the continuance of Vasundhara Raje as Rajasthan chief minister and her son Dushyant's business deals with Modi. As the controversy raged, there was no clear indication which way the wind was blowing - whether the two would survive or have to quit. Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearers, who can be frequently seen at its headquarters at 11, Ashoka Road, in Lutyens Delhi, thought it's better to stop attending the party office. Several of them fixed outstation tours. And those who couldn't, tried their best to avoid the media. On Friday, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed the BJP was standing behind not just Swaraj but also Raje. The statement was reassuring not only for the two leaders under the cloud but also for several junior leaders who found it safe enough to populate the party office on Saturday.