Congress, BJP intensify sparring in Ishrat Jahan case

New Delhi: Escalating the war of words over the Ishrat Jahan case, Congress on Sunday accused the BJP of spreading misinformation to "save the skin" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah while the ruling party hit back demanding apology from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul for their "sin of playing with nation's security".
"Simple truth is that this web of deceit and deception is being woven by government and certain sections of media to save the skin of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah", Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and other senior Congress leaders told reporters here.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi and Shaktisinh Gohil, they released copy of a four-page statement of Gujarat police officer D. H.Goswami before a Magistrate which speaks about "kali dadhi" (black beard) and "safed dadhi" (white beard).
Sibal claimed that Goswami had quoted the then senior Gujarat IPS officer D. G.Vanzara as saying ahead of the encounter that he had already got the "green signal from Black Beard and White Beard".
While Modi was the chief minister of west Indian state of Gujarat that time, Shah was the minister of state for home.
They claimed that the "harsh reality" in the backdrop of Goswami's statement is that the "fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three other accomplices was ordered by the then chief minister and present Prime Minister Modi along with the then MoS, Gujarat Amit Shah".
Hitting back, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, "Congress should stop speaking the language spoken by Pakistan. Congress leadership has committed the sin of playing with the nation's security by protecting a terrorist like Ishrat Jahan, who wanted to eliminate Narendra Modi."
He said, "Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should now apologise to the nation for this crime," adding that Congress was resorting to this as it cannot fight Modi politically.
He accused Congress of pitting the Intelligence Bureau (IB) against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its own political gains, which could prove harmful for the nation.
He also reminded the opposition party that it had committed "the crime of protecting and shielding" a terrorist like Ishrat Jahan, which investigating agencies like IB and NIA, besides US's FBI have confirmed was "a Lashkar terrorist and a suicide bomber out to kill Modi".
Sibal said, "In case, Ishrat Jahan trial was to proceed, it is inevitable that PM and BJP President would be summoned as an accused", they said in the joint statement.
"Black hearted conspiracy behind lies, half truth and smoke screen being put up by BJP government to divert attention of nation in ‘Ishrat Jahan case’ stands unearthed", they alleged on the eve of the Parliament session.
Sibal said that this is why the last three months has seen a "tsunami of misinformation" and people were asking if Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist or not.
He was apparently referring to the BJP's concerted attacks on former home minister P. Chidambaram.