After the Supreme Court delivered its judgment regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots case, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) took this opportunity to slam the Congress party. Citing the Supreme Court’s remarks, BJP launched a fresh salvo against Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Citing the Supreme Court’s critical comments against activist Teesta Setalvad, the BJP alleged that the Congress and its chief Sonia Gandhi were the "driving force" behind the activist's campaign against then Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The BJP launched a scathing attack on Setalvad after she was detained by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Mumbai and taken to Ahmedabad in connection with a First Information Report, or FIR, filed against her at Ahmedabad city crime branch.
The Supreme Court named Setalvad during its judgment regarding the Gujarat riots on Saturday, while a BJP spokesperson slammed those responsible for keeping the "pot boiling" for their ulterior designs on the disturbances, as per PTI reports.
In its order on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging a report by the SIT looking into 2002 post-Godhra riots cases that found no evidence against PM Modi when he was the Chief Minister.
Teesta Setalvad’s NGO had backed Zakia Jafri, who remained embroiled in a legal battle after filing a petition in the court, alleging a larger conspiracy behind the Gujarat riots. Zakia Jafri's husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed in the riots.
The Supreme Court had spoken against devious strategies to keep the "pot boiling" for ulterior designs. It said disgruntled officers of the Gujarat government need to be punished under the law for creating a sensation by making false claims.
Meanwhile, Sambit Patra further alleged that Setalvad and her NGO were behind producing some gruesome details, which later turned out to be incorrect, about what happened to some victims of the riots.
Patra further alleged that a major sum of money was given by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and the Education Ministry to Teesta Setalvad for her to run a campaign against PM Modi and “defame” India.
(With PTI inputs)
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