Arun Jaitley lauds Narendra Modi for riot-free decade

NEW DELHI: In a bid to rid Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and the party of the ghosts of the post-Godhra riots, the BJP has blamed Modi’s opponents for reviving sad memories from the past.

In an article “Gujarat—Ten Years After 2002”, BJP leader Arun Jaitley praised the role of the Modi government over the past “riot-free” decade saying that the chief minister and the government overcame various odds to embark on an “unprecedented” growth story. “Gujarat now has had a riot-free decade. It has tried to move away from the past. It has embarked upon a road to economic growth. The tragedy of Gujarat is that since Modi’s opponents can’t defeat him politically, they hide behind NGOs and a section of the media. One can only hope the judiciary keeps out of this political thicket and remains even handed,” he said.

The article also alleged that while the media has ignored the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which convictions were “negligible”, it continues to highlight the 2002 riots. He counts the 2002 events among the “major riots” and expresses the hope that the “unfortunate events will never be repeated”. He said the memories of 2002 were revived by elements whose relevance existed in reviving sad memories of the past.

“The NGOs which are actively campaigning against Gujarat in the past 10 years have simultaneously pleaded for those who burnt the Sabarmati Express which started the sordid saga of 2002. The UPA government chose to appoint a carefully chosen retired judge of the Supreme Court to opine in an inquiry that the fire in the Sabarmati Express started from inside,” Jaitley said.