Raje not scheduled to meet anyone: CM in Delhi to attend NITI Ayog meeting only, says office

Jaipur: Amid speculation that embattled Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje would meet BJP top brass in Delhi, her office on Saturday said she was not scheduled to meet anyone but had gone there only to attend a meeting of NITI Ayog. The CMO, in a statement, said after attending the NITI Ayog meeting she had come back directly to Jaipur. Raje has been facing the opposition pressure for her resignation in connection with the Lalit Modi controversy. It also termed as “untrue” some TV reports that Raje did not get time from senior BJP leaders and that she did not get any assurance from them. “Such news are untrue and beyond reality, hence before broadcasting and publishing any such news it is advised to confirm it from the sources,” the statement said. [caption id=“attachment_2315576” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje. AFP[/caption] Raje, who has been facing mounting opposition pressure to quit in connection with the controversy surrounding Lalit Modi, arrived at New Delhi around 9:30 am and left the city after spending close to four hours. Party sources were tight-lipped on whether the Rajasthan Chief Minister had sought any appointment to meet either the Prime Minister or the party President. On Friday night, after a meeting between Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, party sources indicated that the top leadership of the party had accepted Raje’s defence in the controversy, PTI reported. On Friday, Rajasthan BJP refuted all the allegations being levelled at her, saying that the document which she signed in support of Modi’s immigration application to the UK government was never produced in court as she had backed out of it later. The state unit of the party also claimed that Modi’s investment in the chain of hotels owned by her son was legal and had been disclosed to authorities. Congress has been piling up pressure on BJP to sack Raje, accusing her of quid pro quo in helping the former IPL boss. Raje has maintained silence over the raging row even though her office has termed the allegations “untrue”, claiming that they were aimed at harming her politically. BJP for its part has said it “fully supports” her. The party has called her its tallest and most popular leader in the state, where she has led the party to its biggest Assembly and Lok Sabha wins. Raje was scheduled to visit London from 27 June to 2 July but cancelled the trip early this week in view of the NITI Aayog meet. PTI