The BJP on Sunday accused the Congress of hijacking many constitutional authorities including the CBI. Party president Rajnath Singh targeted the Congress over CBI’s handling of Ishrat Jahan encounter case and accused it of misusing the investigative agency.
“Everyone in the country knows this truth that the Congress Government has misused the CBI. Not just the CBI, but the Congress Government has also tried to do the maximum misuse of other constitutional authorities in the country,” Singh said when asked about CBI investigations into the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. He charged the ruling party with lowering the dignity of constitutional authorities in the country.
Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college student was killed along with three others on June 15, 2004 allegedly by a team of Crime Branch officials on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, after intelligence inputs that a group of lashkar terrorists have plotted to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to avenge the 2002 communal riots in the State.
The BJP has been stung by reports claiming that the CBI has come with fresh evidence that Modi and the then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah had prior knowledge of the alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan.
Asked to respond to the Election Commission notice on BJP leader Gopinath Munde, the BJP chief said that he did not hear Munde’s speech but if the Election Commission has sent a notice to Munde, then he would reply.
Earlier, addressing a weavers’ congregation, Singh favoured loan waiver for them on the lines of the relief extended to farmers. He alleged that the Congress has not done enough to alleviate poverty from the country in its almost 55 years of rule and charged the ruling with conspiring to sustain poverty due to its politics.
“If the poor have remained poor, it is not because of their misfortune but because of the bad intentions of the Government in power,” Singh said. He said, “It is a conspiracy by those in power not to allow people to shed their poverty.... I feel those sitting in power think they can purchase their votes by offering them some sops before the polls.”
Rajnath promised to accord equal status to weavers and sort out their problems once BJP came to power. “Weavers and farmers will be kept on the same yardstick. We will offer easy finance of 1 to 2 per cent on loans to weavers as offered to farmers,” he said. He also opposed cotton exports till the demand of weavers were met in the country and sought easy finance for weavers at low interest.