PM need not react to everything: V K Singh

New Delhi, Jun 29: Dismissing criticism over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Lalit Modi controversy, Union Minister V K Singh today said it is not necessary for the Prime Minister to react to everything and he will speak when the right time comes.

"Why do you want to force upon him that he should speak and speak? It is not appropriate to react to everything. If a news channel is running something, is it right on the part of the Prime Minister to speak on that? When the right time will come, the Prime Minister will speak," Singh said.

In reply to a question that the Ministry of External Affairs has not responded to an RTI query on Lalit Modi, he said RTI has some rules and the Ministry must have given answer in accordance with that. "Those who have to criticise, will do it anyways. So there is no need to talk about that because often unnecessary things are blown out of proportion.

These things have no ground," he said on the sidelines of 9th Statistics Day here. V K Singh is Minister of State for External and Overseas Indian Affairs apart from holding independent charge as Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Some channels have been running news on Lalit Modi episode for over half a month now and they must have been acting at someone's behest, he said in reply to a question that the MEA is hiding information. "The channels have been doing this for the last 17 days. I ask them who has given them a contract for that," he said.

On the demand for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje before commencement of monsoon session of Parliament, he said it is the job of the opposition to speak and let them speak.

Swaraj and Raje have been facing the heat from various quarters, including from within the BJP, over their alleged role in facilitating travel related documents to former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, who had fled to London in 2010 citing threats to his family's safety. Lalit is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in embezzlement of funds and breaking code of conduct.

PTI