Energy, food security, counterterrorism to top agenda, says Modi
upheld the SIT clean chit to 64 people, including PM Modi, in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. The court dismissed a plea by late Congress MP Ehsan Jafri’s wife Zakia Jafri, stating that it was “devoid of merit and tried to create sensation by making false revelations”. Ehsan Jafri was among 68 people killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre on the first day of the riots in 2002.
Hailing the SC order, Shah demanded an apology from motivated people, who he said targeted Modi for years.
He named activist Teesta Setalvad as one of the people for spreading lies about the riots.
The home minister said the riots were triggered by the burning of Sabarmati Express at Godhra, in which 59 Hindu pilgrims and karsewaks were burnt alive.
“I saw a 16-day-old child, sitting in her mother’s lap, being set on fire. I did the cremation with my own hands,” he told ANI.
Apart from concluding that there was no tangible material to prove that the riots were state-sponsored, planned, and a conspiracy hatched at the highest level in the state to target the minority community following the Godhra train burning incident in February 2002, a threejudge bench led by justice AM Khanwilkar was also scathing in its criticism of the “sensation creating” statements of “disgruntled officials” that claimed this.
Referring to the observation made by the SC, Shah said on Saturday the apex court said in its order that the state government under Modi made all the efforts to control the Gujarat riots and took the right decisions at the right time. Asked if there was a delay in the state government under Modi requisitioning the army to control the riots, Shah said the government’s response was “swift and neutral”.
“When the Gujarat bandh (curfew) was declared, we called in the army. It takes some time for army to reach,” he said. He also took a jibe at the Congress for not doing anything in the 1984 anti-sikh riots despite the army headquarters being in Delhi.
“How many SITS were constituted then? An SIT was formed in 1984 riots after our government came to the power,” Shah said.
The SIT, appointed by the apex court, conducted the investigation into the riots and gave a clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others. The Gujarat high court’s order dated October 5, 2017, also upheld the SIT’S clean chit to Modi.
Shah said on Saturday the Gujarat government gave consent for the SIT because it had nothing to hide.
He said Prime Minister Modi, as Gujarat CM, appeared before the SIT without any “dharna” or “drama”, an apparent jibe at the Congress’ “satyagraha” over the Enforcement Directorate’s questioning of Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case.
Rejecting assertions that Modi influenced the SIT probe, Shah said: “It was a court monitored probe. The officers appointed in the SIT came from the Centre. How could it have been influenced?”
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on Saturday the Supreme Court’s decisions should not be politicised.
“The decisions of SC should never be politicised, but bhakts believe that the SC has said for Gujarat/(narendra) Modi that ‘tussi mahan ho’ (you are great),” Singhvi tweeted in a dig at the BJP and its followers.
“The SC has only upheld the SIT, according to which there was no conspiracy and violence was spontaneous reaction. We should not forget that several persons were convicted for murder in Gujarat riots,” he added.
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he will discuss issues such as energy, climate, food security, health and counterterrorism with world leaders at the G7 Summit this weekend.
In a statement issued ahead of his departure for a trip to Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Modi said he will visit Schloss Elmau at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the G7 Summit.
“In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important global issues impacting humanity, Germany has also invited other democracies such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit,” he said.
“During the sessions of the summit, I will be exchanging views with the G7 countries, G7 partner countries and guest international organisations on topical issues such as environment, energy, climate, food security, health, counter-terrorism, gender equality and democracy,” he added.
MODI ENDURED PAIN
At the G7 Summit, Modi will participate in two sessions devoted to climate, energy and health, food security and gender equality.
He will also hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit with leaders of G7 states and the guest countries.
He said it will be a pleasure to meet Scholz again after their participation in the India-germany inter-governmental consultations last month.
While in Germany, Modi will also meet members of the Indian diaspora from across Europe. He said they are “contributing immensely to their local economies as also enriching our relations with European countries”.