Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi failed to show up before the Supreme Court-appointed SIT
which had summoned him for on Sunday for questioning in connection
with a 2002 riots case.
The SIT has also not received any communication from the
state government regarding the summons issued on March 11,
sources in the investigating team said.
The office of the Special Investigation Team in
Gandhinagar was kept open today and its members were present
in case Modi presented himself but the senior BJP leader
ignored the summons and gave the panel a miss. SIT chief R K
Raghavan was, however, out of town.
Official sources said 59-year-old Modi has sought legal
alternatives in response to the summons by the SIT on March
11. It was for the first time that the Chief Minister was
being called for questioning in connection with the riots.
Modi was summoned by the SIT with regard to a complaint
filed by Zakia Jaffery, wife of slain former MP Eshan Jaffrey
in the 2002 Gulburg society riots case.
The former Congress MP was killed along with 69 others
by a mob at Gulburg society in Ahmedabad in February 2002.
BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy evaded a direct reply
when asked if Modi would depose before the SIT but said, "The
government of Gujarat has made it clear that it shall act as
per the law.
"This government has always supported and respected
the law and will abide by it. It has the highest respect for
the Supreme Court order and directions," he said.
The Supreme Court, had on April 27 last year, asked
the SIT to inquire into Zakia's complaint in which she has
alleged Modi and 62 others, including his cabinet colleagues,
police officials and senior bureaucrats aided and abetted the
riots which left over 1,000 people dead.
Modi loves to hide: Cong
Attacking Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi for not showing up before the SIT in
connection with a Gujarat riots case, Congress said that
it was "contemptuous" and showed that he "loves to hide".
"The SIT's direction to Narendra Modi to appear before
it shows the seriousness and importance attached to the issue
by the apex court," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
"For Modi to avoid appearing on any ground or pretext
is contemptuous and would show that he loves to hide," he said
SIT will find out truth: Pilot
Minister of State for Communications
and Technology, Sachin Pilot today said that Special
Investigation Team (SIT) will find out truth in post-Godhra
riots despite Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's
"non-co-operation".
Pilot who was in Gondal, 36 km from Rajkot, to attend
Congress zonal sammelan of Saurashtra region to mark party's
125th year, told reporters that despite Modi's non-co
operation the SIT will find out the truth.
He also slammed Gujarat Government for
spending lavishly on advertisements for "self praise".
The Modi government has been misguiding people of Gujarat
by spending crores of rupees on advertising boasting about
itself, Pilot told a gathering in Gondal town of the district
during a zonal convention of the Congress party held as a part
of its 125th year of foundation.
Pilot alleged that Modi took credit of Central schemes in
the state, demanding that he comes out with a white paper if
he had launched any scheme.
He was all praise for UPA government for its efforts in
ensuring jobs in rural areas allotment of Rs 60,000 crore
for rural development.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 23:19