Vasundhara Raje

Questioning Narendra Modi's silence even when names of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have cropped up in the row, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the Prime Minister "Swami Maunendra".

Govindacharya claimed that Modi had benefitted from his ties with Swaraj and Raje. "It is clear that Raje and Swaraj had ties with Lalit Modi and he had gained from it. A message has gone out that the government has done something wrong," said Govindacharya.

Sources said that while no formal meeting is planned between Raje and the BJP leadership but if she wished to meet Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah, she will be granted an appointment.

According to sources, the BJP is not going to take any action against the Rajasthan CM immediately. The decision comes after Raje told the BJP that she signed Lalit Modi's immigration papers in her personal capacity as his friend and not as an official. Sources also say that Raje claims she did not depose before any court of law.

Stepping up the offensive against Raje, who had claimed she did not recall having signed such a document, Congress accused her of "repeatedly lying" and demanded her immediate resignation. "

Arun Jaitley also said there is "no question at all" about the government going on the back foot on this issue, as it has done "nothing wrong".

On day one of the Budget session, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raked up the issue of former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar‘s fake degrees. Following ruckus in the floor of the House, BJP‘s OP Sharma was marshalled out of the Assembly.

Indications are that the session is likely to begin on July 20. The monsoon session is likely to be a stormy affair with the opposition gunning for the resignation of Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje over the Lalit Modi visa fiasco.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Raje have been facing flak for "helping" Modi in procuring travel documents in the UK, a country which he has made his home to avoid legal processes in India.

In India‘s crab-bring-down-crab political environment, dividing the opposition, through fair means or foul, seems to be the only way to rule. The Gandhi family used this to great effect. Modi will have to do the same.

The Union Minister further clarified that Raje's son Dushyant's deal with Lalit Modi's company was purely a commercial one. Notably, the same was asserted by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday.

The former IPL chief on Sunday levelled allegations against several senior politicians on social media platform twitter.

According to reports, Modi and Singh discussed the government strategy to tackle the continued attack by the opposition over the issue. They also discussed government‘s plan to move Supreme Court for revocation of Lalit Modi‘s passport.

While accepting that he has 'relations' with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and several other politicians, he refused to add anything more. Evading questions from the media, he said that his lawyers have asked him not to make any statement.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Wednesday, former finance minister P Chidambaram stepped up the attack on Swaraj, saying her conduct in the issue raises several questions.

The three-page paper read, "I make this statement with support of any immigration/application that Lalit Modi makes. But do so on the strict condition that my assistance will not become known to the Indian authority.”

Hindustan Zinc is an integrated mining and producer of zinc, lead, silver and cadmium. Cairn India is an oil & gas exploration and production firm. Both the companies are part of Vedanta group.

After the first meeting of the Governing Council of the Aayog, three sub-groups of Chief Ministers were constituted on CSS, Skill Development and Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

One of the worst affected places is Maharashtra where around 40,000 hectares of standing Rabi crop has been damaged. On the other hand 26 out of the 33 districts in Rajasthan have been affected and 40 percent of their mustard production has been destroyed.

A fund of Rs 5.22 crore is proposed for setting up Krishi Sewa Kendra in 1,410 new gram panchayats and 59 panchayat samiti. Rs 55 crore is earmarked for storage of three lakh tonnes of urea, l lakh tone of DAP. Raje's speech said a new agriculture college will be opened in Nagaur district.