New Delhi, July 16: Launching a scathing attack on Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi over the Special Investigating Team (SIT) affidavit in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, the BJP on Saturday alleged that she was the "architect of the entire conspiracy" and had attempted to "malign" the name of the state through her political advisor late Ahmed Patel.
The SIT, in its affidavit in the sessions court in Gujarat, has claimed that at Ahmed Patel's behest, Teesta Setalvad and others had plotted to destabilise the Gujarat government. Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "The affidavit has brought the truth out that who were the ones who were driving these conspiracies — Ahmed Patel. Ahmed Patel is just a name, the driving force was his boss Sonia Gandhi. Through her Chief Political Advisor Ahmed Patel, Sonia Gandhi attempted to malign Gujarat's image. Through him, she attempted to insult Narendra Modi and she was the architect of this entire conspiracy."
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Ahmed Patel[/caption]
Slamming social activist Teesta Setalvad, whose name was mentioned in the SIT affidavit that she had numerous meetings with Patel where they received Rs 5 lakh for the first time and Rs 25 lakh after two days, Patra said that she was doing all this with political objectives.
Also Read | Gujarat riots: SIT reveals Teesta, Sreekumar, Sanjeev Bhatt received money from Ahmed Patel to frame Narendra Modi
"The first political objective of Teesta Setalvad was to destabilise the publicly elected Narendra Modi government in Gujarat. The second objective was to frame innocent people, including the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The affidavit says that this conspiracy was to malign the image of Gujarat," he said.
"What Teesta Setalvad was doing, Sonia Gandhi was impressed with it and awarded her with Padma Shree in 2007. Teesta was a member of the national advisory council of Sonia Gandhi," the BJP leader said.
Patra said they did not want answers from Jairam Ramesh, who had issued a statement refuting the allegations of the SIT and slamming the Centre for the "mischievous" charges against late Ahmed Patel.
Also Read | Gujarat riots: Congress refutes SIT's 'mischievous charges' against late Ahmed Patel
"How should the BJP government be dismissed in Gujarat, how to destabilise it, how to play politics with Gujarat riots, there is only one person behind all this, Sonia Gandhi. Today we are wanting answers from none other than Sonia Gandhi, not Jairam Ramesh. With a clear conscience, we beseech Sonia Gandhi to hold a press conference and address the nation as to why she was conspiring against Narendra Modi," Patra said.
-PTC News
