Ahmedabad:
After all the will he, won't he, it turns out he will.
On Saturday, Narendra Modi will meet the Special investigating Team (SIT) investigating the Gujarat riots of 2002. Where is not certain yet, mainly for security reasons. Sources say the Chief Minister's office will consult with the SIT for the venue.
Modi's summons is based on the death of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was burnt alive during the Gulbarg Society riots in 2002 in Ahmedabad. Jafri's wife field a case in the Supreme Court stating that Modi and 63 others conspired during the riots, and that senior ministers ordered bureaucrats and policemen not to respond to calls for help. More than a thousand people died in the Gujarat communal riots.
Modi was issued a formal summons on the 11th of this month. At that time, the SIT, headed by RK Raghavan, had said that Modi was to appear before it on the 21st. What Raghavan did not clarify was that the summons held good for a week. When Modi didn't meet the SIT on Sunday, the 21st, the media reported that he had skipped the meeting.
In a dramatic response, Modi issued a letter "to the nation" in which he said "They wanted to paint me as a person who refused to respond to the SIT... And I expect that the media would bring my deep pain and despair to the notice of the people." Modi added that he would cooperate with the SIT. (Read: Full text of Narendra Modi's statement on summons)
The Opposition is using Modi's summons to attack him.
"In the past politicians who have faced inquiries have resigned and then appeared for questioning. Narendra Modi should respect that tradition and resign," says Siddharth Patel of the Gujarat Congress.
There are also those who believe Modi may yet dodge the summons by asking for an extension. This keeping in mind that the SIT's own credibility has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which will hear the case against the Sit on the 5th of April.
If the SIT comes in for serious criticism from the court at this hearing, Modi will have the edge.
On Saturday, Narendra Modi will meet the Special investigating Team (SIT) investigating the Gujarat riots of 2002. Where is not certain yet, mainly for security reasons. Sources say the Chief Minister's office will consult with the SIT for the venue.
Modi's summons is based on the death of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was burnt alive during the Gulbarg Society riots in 2002 in Ahmedabad. Jafri's wife field a case in the Supreme Court stating that Modi and 63 others conspired during the riots, and that senior ministers ordered bureaucrats and policemen not to respond to calls for help. More than a thousand people died in the Gujarat communal riots.
Modi was issued a formal summons on the 11th of this month. At that time, the SIT, headed by RK Raghavan, had said that Modi was to appear before it on the 21st. What Raghavan did not clarify was that the summons held good for a week. When Modi didn't meet the SIT on Sunday, the 21st, the media reported that he had skipped the meeting.
In a dramatic response, Modi issued a letter "to the nation" in which he said "They wanted to paint me as a person who refused to respond to the SIT... And I expect that the media would bring my deep pain and despair to the notice of the people." Modi added that he would cooperate with the SIT. (Read: Full text of Narendra Modi's statement on summons)
The Opposition is using Modi's summons to attack him.
"In the past politicians who have faced inquiries have resigned and then appeared for questioning. Narendra Modi should respect that tradition and resign," says Siddharth Patel of the Gujarat Congress.
There are also those who believe Modi may yet dodge the summons by asking for an extension. This keeping in mind that the SIT's own credibility has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which will hear the case against the Sit on the 5th of April.
If the SIT comes in for serious criticism from the court at this hearing, Modi will have the edge.
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