Indian politicians, like their counterparts in other countries, have shown an uncanny ability to weather many a political storm. But there are also instances where scandals have ruined careers of political bigwigs, sending them to permanent political exile. So what’s in store for Sushma Swaraj? Will she survive the brewing political storm and be able to bounce back?
“Sushma’s position has become untenable. The prime minister will have to act and sack her,” says CPI leader D. Raja. But is the Narendra Modi government in a mood to sacrifice her? Lalit Modi—who stays in London and whose passport was revoked by the Indian government—is not a particularly savoury association for any government, what with his risky playboy image and hazy money trails. So Sushma’s intervention on his behalf—asking the UK authorities to provide him with documents that would allow him to travel to Lisbon, where his wife was undergoing cancer treatment—is a political hot potato. Both Sushma’s husband and daughter were...
