The controversy over the Ishrat Jahan case hit the Parliament as the issue was raised by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Lok Sabha. After the revelations by the Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley’s startling claim on 11 February this year about the 2004 Gujarat encounter, the already murky Ishrat Jahan case has become murkier.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha, "The effect of terrorism is not just limited to India but also the world. Politics should not be played over the issue," he said. "There should not be any flip-flop over the Ishrat Jahan case. The previous government has engaged in flip-flop over the issue," he said.
"It seems that everything that was said in the second affidavit was to weaken the claim in the first affidavit that Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist," said the Home Minister. "It seems this was a conspiracy against the then Gujarat government. A terrorist is a terrorist. He or she does not have any religion or caste," he further said. "Headley re-affirmed everything that was said in the first affidavit by UPA. We will never play politics over terrorism," said Rajnath.
"Two letters from the then home secretary to the attorney general in 2009 have gone missing. The then attorney general had vetted two affidavits regarding the case. Those are also not available," Mr Singh said.
"Those who call themselves secular, they tried to give communal colour to terrorism, coined the term saffron terror. This happened for the first time in the world. We will not accept it in any way in the country," he added.
Dubey, who had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, accused the Congress of conspiring against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah by changing an affidavit in the case and said, "Is this the way to get rid of Opposition leaders? People should not play politics over terrorism and the unity of this country," he thundered.
"If a terrorist comes to kill us, we will be forced to kill that terrorist," he further said. "Maut ka saudagar kehne waali Congress kya maut ka sauda karna chahti thi?" he added.
"IB and NIA belonged to them (the then UPA government). They all said Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist," Dubey said.
"Like Rajiv Gandhi was killed, would (PM Narendra) Modi have to die before the Congress took action?" questioned BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey, initiating a discussion in the Lok Sabha. He also referenced Sonia Gandhi's "Maut ke Saudagar (merchants of death)" barb for Narendra Modi and said: "Were they trying to do maut ka sauda (business over death)?"
By Premji
