Indian home minister Amit Shah confirms BJP leadership involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots

Indian minister confirms BJP leadership involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots!

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah in a statement on Friday has confirmed that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “direct involvement” in anti-Muslim violence 2002 Gujarat riots.

“As chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taught a lesson to anti-social elements,” Amit Shah had said while addressing an election rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district.

“They tried to create a problem for Narendra Bhai [Modi], but he taught them such a lesson that they have not dared to do anything till 2022,” Shah said, adding, “The BJP government has established peace in Gujarat.”

 

At a rally ahead of next week’s elections in Mahudha town of Kheda district, Amit Shah went on to say,”During the Congress rule in Gujarat (before 1995), communal riots were rampant. Congress used to incite people of different communities and castes to fight against each other. Through such riots, Congress had strengthened its vote bank and did injustice to a large section of the society.”

“There have been many riots in Bharuch, curfew, violence. There was no room for development in Gujarat because of the chaos. In 2002, they tried to indulge in communal violence… we taught them such a lesson, we put them in jail. It’s been 22 years, we have not put a curfew even once. BJP has done the work to bring the peace to a land that saw frequent communal riots,” he added.

Amit Shah was first elected in Gujarat as the MLA for a seat partly covering Ahmedabad, Sarkhej in 1997 (a by-election).

He continued to hold it in the 1998, 2002 and 2007 elections until the seat’s dissolution in 2008; he later got elected from the nearby Naranpura in 2012.

Currently, Amit Shah is one of the BJP’s top campaigners for the elections in the state, set to be held on December 1 and 5.

In 2002, more than 1,000 people were killed in the three-day violence in Gujarat and the state police faced grave charges of not doing enough to stop the riots that began after a train coach carrying pilgrims was burnt in Godhra, killing 59 people.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been cleared of any wrongdoing by investigations into the Gujarat riots.

Earlier this year, the Indian Supreme Court rejected an appeal against Modi’s exoneration in one of the cases linked to the killings.

The statement form the Indian home minister drew massive criticism:

 

 

 

 

Pakistan’s Foreign Office has expressed concern on Indian minister’s ‘confirmation of BJP leadership’s involvement’ in 2002 Gujarat riots

 

The Foreign Office (FO), in a press release issued on Sunday today, stated that Shah’s remarks as well as those of former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela corroborated and confirmed “Pakistan’s long-standing assertion that the BJP-led government under the incumbent prime minister … was directly responsible for fomenting violence and massacre of Muslims”.

“It is most deplorable that the crimes against humanity, targeting Muslims, were perpetrated solely for BJP’s political gains.

“Regrettably, the BJP once again seeks to cash in on its divisive policies two decades after the Gujarat tragedy,” the press release reads.