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Release my letters to Britain on Lalit Modi, says Chidambaram
Chennai: Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday demanded that the central government release the letters exchanged between him as the union finance minister and British Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne on the case against former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
Speaking to the media here, Chidambaram urged the government to make public the correspondence between him and the British chancellor of exchequer, and asked who in the Centre took the decision not to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order to restore Lalit Modi’s passport.
“Why is the government fighting shy of releasing the letters?” Chidambaram asked.
He said the external affairs minister should have advised Lalit Modi to apply for temporary travel papers to the Indian High Commission in Britain as he is an Indian citizen.
Chidambaram wondered why Sushma Swaraj asked a British parliamentarian to facilitiate travel papers to Modi to journey to Portugal.
Recalling from his memory, Chidambaram said he wrote to his British counterpart Osborne that Lalit Modi was being investigated under Indian laws and the British government should send him back to India as his passport was revoked by the Indian government.
According to Chidambaram, current Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said Lalit Modi has been issued 15 show cause notices, out of 16 cases for which he is being investigated.
Not terming the controversy as a corruption in the BJP-led central government, Chidambaram said the help given to Lalit Modi was a clear case of abuse of authority, nepotism and flouting of rules.
He demanded answers to his questions:
(a) Why is the government not releasing the letters between him and his British counterpart?
(b) Who took the decision in the government against going on appeal against the Delhi High Court’s ruling restoring passport to Modi?
(c) Why did Sushma Swaraj not advise Modi to approach the Indian High Commission and apply for temporary travel documents to travel to Portugal?
(d) Why didn’t Sushma Swaraj insist that Modi return to India for issue of travel documents?
(e) Who took the decision to issue a fresh passport to Modi?
(f) Has the Indian government lodged its objections to the British government on the issue of long visa for Modi?
(g) Is not the BJP government capable of providing security to Modi’s life when he says his life is at risk if he comes back to India?
Citing Jaitley’s comment that as a government, it was the collective responsibility for the decisions taken, Chidambaram said it means Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also responsible for the decisions taken in the case of Lalit Modi.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.