Lalit Modi admits closeness to Sushma, Vasundhara

New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) IPL's controversial former chief Lalit Modi on Tuesday admitted close relations with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and said he has been "over criticised" and "taken to task" by the former UPA government.

"At the end I have done nothing wrong. I've gone by book... I have been over criticised, have been taken to task by the (UPA) government for no reason for all," he said in an interview to India Today TV. "The entire UPA government was against me," he said. Modi added that former finance minister P. Chidambaram tried to deport him to India.

He challenged the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prove charges against him and said "Swarajs" have been his friends for over 20 years, and that Vasundhara Raje is a "family friend".

Asked if he was cool about External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj possibly losing her job because of her support to him, he said: "I am not perfectly cool and calm about someone doing an honest losing their job. (Shashi) Tharoor lost job because he lied. He lied he had nothing to do with the Kochi team..."

He said he sought help from Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje so that he could be with his ailing wife, and admitted making call to Sushma Swaraj.

He said he could have given up his right as Indian citizen and taken another citizenship but he did not do so because he wanted to prove that his passport was taken wrongly.

Modi also said Sushma Swaraj's daughter Bansuri has been his lawyer for four years. "I am close to a lot of politicians," he added.

"Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel also helped me with travel papers... Rajiv Shukla also helped me with travel documents," he said.