The report says that P Chidambaram had cleared an affidavit in 2009 which described Ishrat Jahan as a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist.
Highlights
- He allegedly cleared affidavit describing Ishrat Jahan as LeT terrorist
- Then, second one filed with all references to her terror links missing
- Mr Chidambaram had said first affidavit was drafted without his approval
In fresh controversy for the Congress, a news channel has aired documents which it says show that former home minister P Chidambaram had cleared an affidavit in 2009 which described college student Ishrat Jahan as a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist involved in a plot to assassinate then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
About a month later, a second affidavit was filed in court in which all references to Ishrat's alleged terror links were missing. In defence of the changes, Mr Chidambaram had said earlier this year that it was his duty to correct the first affidavit which was drafted without his approval.
TV channel Times Now has reported that the "Ishrat files" it has accessed through a Right to Information or RTI query, show Mr Chidambaram cleared both affidavits.
The BJP accuses Mr Chidambaram of amending the Ishrat document to suit his party's stand that Ishrat Jahan - killed along with three others in 2004 near Ahmedabad by Gujarat Police officers - was innocent and shot in cold blood on the orders of the Gujarat government.
"The media reports have now established that it was Chidambaram who also cleared the first affidavit," said the BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman in a strong attack, accusing the Congress' top leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of playing with national security by conspiring with Mr Chidambaram to underplay "a terror plot that could eliminate (Mr Modi)."
"You are clearly admitting that you cannot fight this politically. So eliminate or allow to eliminate or encourage elimination of the leader who you are mortified of fighting politically," Ms Sitharaman alleged.
Junior minister for home Kiren Rijiju said the entire Congress must shoulder blame for changing the affidavit. "There would have been some political pressure from higher ups of the Congress that such an action was taken," he said.
Mr Chidamabaram hit back at the BJP saying in a statement, "the real issue is, even if a person is suspected to be a terrorist, can that person be killed -- as alleged -- in a fake encounter? Please focus on the real issue."His public statements, he said, had made his stand clear.