Amit Shah stated on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “endured false charges” connected to the 2002 Gujarat riots silently for 19 years.
New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court upheld the former Chief Minister’s exoneration, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “endured false charges” connected to the 2002 Gujarat riots silently for 19 years while the judicial procedure was ongoing.
“Modi ji endured false charges in silence for 19 years, nobody did a dharna,” Mr Shah told news agency ANI in an interview, taking a swipe at the Congress which has been demonstrating for days over the interrogation of senior party leader Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case.
“I have closely seen Modi ji enduring this pain, facing the allegations despite being on the side of truth and because the judicial process was underway he did not speak. Only a man with a strong heart can do this,” Mr Shah said.
“In a democracy, PM Modi presented an ideal example of how the Constitution should be respected by all political persons. Modi ji was also questioned, but nobody protested, and (BJP) workers from across the country did not gather in solidarity with Modi ji. We cooperated with the law. I was also arrested. There was no protest or demonstration,” he said.
The former Punjab Police head KPS Gill, a renowned senior officer, described the state government’s intervention as “quick and neutral,” while the Union Home Minister refuted that the Gujarat administration had delayed in deploying the army to quell rioting.
He also criticised Congress for failing to act during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, claiming that several Sikhs were killed “yet nothing was done for three days.”
“The Gujarat government did not delay in anything. When the Gujarat Bandh was declared, we called the Army. The Army needed some time to reach. There was not even a day’s delay by the Gujarat government and this was also appreciated by the court,” Mr. Shah said.
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was one of 68 people killed in what became known as the Gulbarg Society massacre on the first day of the three-day riots, saying it was “devoid of merits” and filed “to keep the pot boiling.”.
Ehsan Jafri was one of 68 people killed in what became known as the Gulbarg Society massacre.
The petition was registered “to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design”, the court commented.
“All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law,” the judges stated, concluding that the appeal was filed under “dictation of someone”.
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