Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley, Thursday said that if reports suggesting that Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing 2002 riots, has given a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi are true, then the case should be closed.
Jaitley made the remark while talking to reporters here a
day after the Supreme Court-appointed SIT filed the final
report in a sealed cover on the complaint by Zakia Jafri, wife
of slain former Congress MP Eshan Jafri in the Gulberg Housing
society riots in 2002. Around 1,200 people were killed in the
communal riots.
Talking to reporters, Jaitley said that earlier two investigating teams have given clean chit to Modi and now if the SIT report also says the same then the case should be closed.
“People who want to carry on with the case must be having political agenda,” the BJP leader said.
Referring to the poll scenario in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP
leader said his party would form the government in the state
only if it got majority, or else it would like to sit in the
opposition.
On the question of his party's alliance with the BSP,
Jaitley said BJP will "never repeat the mistake" as it had
burnt its finger twice by forging alliance with Mayawati's
party in the past.
He accused the SP of fuelling 'goonda raj' and the BSP of
breaking all records of corruption. The Congress has also
joined their league and announced a sub-quota for minorities
within 27 per cent reservation for OBCs, he said.
The opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha also said, "If
BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, it will transform the
political agenda and will focus on good governance,
development, end corruption and not allow reservation on the
basis of caste.
Commenting on Gujarat High Court’ s judgement that criticised Narendra Modi for failing to have provided compensation to religious places destroyed or damaged during the 2002 post Godhra riots, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha expressed his disagreement saying that Constitution doesn’t allow to build religious places using money from public exchequer.
In context to his arguments Jaitley cited example of Mahatma Gandhi saying that when Somnath temple was built, Gandhiji told Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that state money cannot be used for building temples and mosques, instead donations should be invited for such purposes.
However Jaitley said that court’s order will be respected and implemented.
The Narendra Modi government in Gujarat on Wednesday came in for harsh criticism from the state High Court, which verbally rapped it for failing to have provided compensation to religious places destroyed or damaged during the 2002 post Godhra riots.
Upholding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Islami Relief Committee Gujarat (IRCG), the High Court ordered the Gujarat government to get repaired or reconstructed the places of worship which were damaged fully or partially during the riots.
The HC clearly stated that the religious places got damaged due to government negligence during the riots, triggered by the Godhra train burning incident.
While saying the state government led by Chief Minister Modi failed to protect the religious places, the HC also questioned the government as to why it failed to stop the riots.
First Published: Thursday, February 09, 2012, 13:05