The Nanavati Commission's findings on Godhra train carnage and clean chit to Narendra Modi government's handling of the riots that followed, on Thursday triggered a fresh political storm as Congress-led UPA and Left parties scoffed at them while BJP said the 'truth' has been brought out.
Nanavati Commission report absolves Narendra Modi
Congress said it was 'not at all surprised' by the findings of the G T Nanavati Commission, appointed by the Gujarat government, giving a clean chit to Modi.
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"We are not at all surprised by the result. It is a commission created virtually by the principal accused Narendra Modi to investigate into the system of the state on which he presides," said Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.
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Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, who had instituted the U C Banerjee Commission four years back to go into the incident, said "people will not believe that Modi is innocent."
"He (Modi) is a communal virus centre and has been disallowed to travel abroad. Had he been punished for his crime, no youths would have turned terrorists today," Prasad said.
Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan dismissed the Nanavati Commission report as 'eyewash' while the Communist Party of India termed the findings as 'partisan'.
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The CPI said the Nanavati Commission report was 'partisan' and unacceptable.
"The report is unacceptable to us. We will oppose it. I am flabbergasted. It is a partisan report," said CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.
Agreeing, Paswan said, "The Godhra incidents were state-sponsored terrorism with an aim to garner political gains."
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On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party said the Nanavati Commission brought out the 'truth' that Godhra train fire was a plot and 'it will prove to be a milestone in convicting the culprits'.
"We will request that the matter proceed according to the Nanavati Commission report in the courts also," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Justice Bannerjee, who carried out a separate probe in 2005 into the Godhra train carnage, maintained that it was an 'accident' and could never have been through petrol fire.
