I am not afraid of going to jail, says Modi

A belligerent Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was ready to go to jail if he was found to be involved in the 2002 riots in the state and accused Congress of hatching a conspiracy to put him behind bars.

In his first public response to the Supreme Court order on Monday directing the Special Investigation Team to probe his alleged role and also of his administration in aiding and abetting the riots, Modi said he was not afraid of going behind bars for the people of the land.

"After three months I might be in jail. But people of Gujarat should remember one thing, that Modi will live for Gujarat and die for Gujarat," he said at a poll rally in Anand, Gujarat. The apex court had ordered the SIT probe "within three months" into a fresh complaint regarding the post-Godhra riots.

"If people ask me if you want to go to jail or gallows, then I will say I want to be hanged so that I can be reborn again to serve my Gujarat," Modi said, adding, "there are conspiracies against me to send me to jail."

Modi said, "Union minister Kapil Sibal had given a threat that if I did not stop talking against Congress I would end up in jail."

"Just after 15 days, the order has come from the Supreme Court. What does this mean? This is a Congress conspiracy to send me behind bars," he said.

"On the one hand a foreign relative of Sonia (Gandhi), Quattrocchi has been given a clean chit by CBI. Everybody knows who controls CBI. On the other hand, conspiracy is formed to send me, who is the son of Bharat Mata, to jail," he added.