New Delhi: An expose into alleged “state-sponsored stalking” of a young woman in Gujarat prompted the Congress yesterday to attack the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The BJP, however, blamed the Congress’ “dirty tricks wing”.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari demanded a thorough probe into the expose by investigative websites Cobrapost and Gulail.com and that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh should provide an explanation.
Rajnath Singh was quick to respond in Raipur: “There is no question of rethinking on our PM candidate even if a thousand baseless allegations... are made. We apprehend that the Congress’ dirty tricks wing will make such allegations... as the elections draw near.”
Attacking Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, Tewari said in an address during an event that “dark clouds of fascism” and “a great evil stalks” the land following allegations of “state-sponsored stalking” in Gujarat on the orders of former minister Amit Shah who did it for his “saheb”.
According to the expose, the woman’s movements and her conversations were being covered by the Gujarat “state Intelligence Bureau, the Crime Branch and the Anti-Terrorist Squad in August 2009 on oral orders, without any valid legal authorisation, and was meant only to serve the interests of someone whom the then minister of state for home, Amit Shah, addressed as ‘saheb’.”
Tewari, in his speech in Vigyan Bhavan on National Press Day, said: “As we go about upholding constitutional values and go about our chores, dark clouds of fascism loom ominously over the horizon, a great evil stalks our land.”
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who never spares an opportunity to attack Modi, tweeted: “Would All Modi lovers pl react and condemn it or as a true loyalist defend Modi and Amit Shah.”
“Modi and Amit Shah use Gujarat Police to spy on an innocent girl! Didn’t Gujarat Police and then Home Minister violate the Law of the Land?”, he tweeted.
Congress spokesman Meem Afzal demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the allegations.
IANS
