[It was really an amusing spectacle that with Banjara,
Modi's once trusted lieutenant and the killer of
Sohrabuddin, helplessly languishing behind the bars -
Modi was thumping his chest claiming the credit(!) for
the state-initiated murder!
And the slightest threat again makes him turn his tail
like a dog kicked in the stomach!]
I.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/247618.html
Sent EC stinker, Modi blames Sonia and remembers the
Constitution
Express news service
Posted online: Friday, December 07, 2007 at 0000 hrs
IST
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 6
The Election Commission today issued notice to Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi over his campaign speech
in which he justified the killing of Sohrabuddin
Sheikh in a fake encounter, a case which is being
heard by the Supreme Court.
Asking him to respond to the notice by Saturday, the
Election Commission, after going through a video
recording of his speech, media reports and complaints,
said it is "prima facie convinced that references to
Sohrabuddin and linking his name to terrorism, in the
speech, amounts to indulging in activity which may
aggravate existing differences, creating mutual hatred
and causing tension between different communities in
violation of the Model Code."
"There shall be no appeal to caste or communal
feelings for securing votes," the EC said quoting the
Model Code of Conduct.
At an election rally in south Gujarat, Modi had said:
"I am thumping my chest and declaring that
Sohrabuddin's encounter took place on the dharti of
Gujarat. If I have done something wrong, hang me. But
these people, next they will offer a chadar at
Sohrabuddin's grave."
Under fire for his remarks with opponents demanding
his disqualification from the polls, Modi, in an
apparent attempt to defuse the controversy, today told
Times Now TV that "fake encounters are not
acceptable".
"I request the Supreme Court and all Constitutional
authorities not to go by perceptions but to go by
facts. I am a law-abiding citizen and I will ensure
that India's Constitution remains the supreme
authority," he said.
He said it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who
provoked him into making the remarks on Sohrabuddin's
killing. "I began talking about development, about
agriculture and primary education. But when Sonia
Gandhi, in her first rally in Gujarat, called me a
merchant of death, I had to react because in a
democracy it is my duty to take the truth to the
people of the country," he said.
"I have never justified fake encounters... I have
faced a lot of allegations on the Sohrabuddin issue in
the past six months. So far, I was quiet. But I have
to give an explanation if Soniabehn calls me the
merchant of death. There is no controversy over police
encounters. The controversy is over fake encounters. I
have always opposed and will continue to oppose fake
encounters," he said.
Two days later, Modi says he never supported encounter
7 Dec, 2007, 0039 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Under attack over his alleged remark
justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Gujarat
chief minister Narendra Modi asserted that he had
never justified fake police encounters. At a rally in
Kapalvad, Mr Modi said fake police encounters "cannot
be accepted". The chief minister blamed Congress
president Sonia Gandhi for forcing him to retort.
Mr Modi has been accused of justifying the killing of
Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter at a rally on
Tuesday. Now nearly 48 hours later, Mr Modi asserted,
"I do not justify fake police encounters."
The Gujarat chief minister said he and his government
are against fake encounters and have taken a stand
against it in the Supreme Court. "Fake encounters
cannot be accepted. I have never justified it and I
have always condemned it," he said. He said the
Supreme Court should look into the realities of
Sohrabuddin case guided by facts.
Mr Modi's alleged justification had been strongly
condemned by the Congress and the Left parties and
social activists, and there were demands that he be
booked under a criminal case.
The Gujarat chief minister has accused Ms Gandhi of
"provoking" him by calling him the "merchant of
death". He said though his poll agenda was only to
raise developmental issues, he had been compelled to
react. "I had kept quiet, but Sonia provoked me. I
felt the need to tell Sonia the truth... I will reply
to whatever issues the Congress raises and will speak
in the same language they use and I have a right to
defend himself," Mr Modi said.
The Gujarat government's special counsel in Supreme
Court K T S Tulsi had threatened to resign if the
chief minister did not apologise for his remarks on
Sohrabuddin Sheikh. Asserting that "he was and will be
a law-abiding citizen," Mr Modi said it is his
democratic duty to tell the truth to people and
asserted that hostile reactions to him reeked of
"pseudo secularism".
Mr Modi said he had not said anything harsh about Ms
Gandhi during his campaign and a reference was made to
her when he had to respond to her accusations. "If it
is a crime to use Sonia's name then I will stop taking
her name," he said.
He regretted that "hundreds of accusations" were being
levelled against him. Mr Modi said he is surprised why
terrorism is always linked to minorities. "If I talk
of terrorism it does not mean it is linked to
terrorists," he added.
III.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/EC_notice_to_Modi_over_hate_speech/articleshow/2602599.cms
EC notice to Modi over hate speech
7 Dec 2007, 0228 hrs IST , TNN
NEW DELHI: Taking note of reports that he had made a
"communal" appeal at an election rally on Tuesday, the
Election Commission on Thursday sent a notice to
Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, asking him to reply by 11am
on Saturday.
A complaint against Modi was filed by social activist
Teesta Setalvad, who alleged that the speech at
Mangrol in south Gujarat amounted to an open
exhortation to violence and misuse of religion for
political ends. Hence, it was violative of the model
code of conduct, apart from being in breach of the
rule of law.
Taking into account various inputs, including video
footage of the speech, the commission on Thursday said
that prima facie it was of the view that references to
Sohrabuddin Sheikh, apparently killed in a fake
encounter, and linking him to terrorism amounted to
indulging in activity which might aggravate existing
differences, create mutual hatred and cause tension
between different communities.
The EC notice said that it would involve violation of
the provision of Clauses 1 and 3 of Item I of the
Model Code of Conduct.
Earlier in the day, BJP deputy leader in Lok Sabha, V
K Malhotra, repeated his previous day's statement that
Modi had been quoted out of context. On Gujarat
government counsel K T S Tulsi threatening to return
the brief, he said "there could be other counsel" but
then added that efforts would be made to explain
matters to him (Tulsi).
Speaking in Himachal Pradesh, BJP vice-president
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Modi had spoken about
Sohrabuddin to condemn terrorism and not a particular
community.
"If you criticize Osama bin Laden, do you criticize a
community?" an agency report quoted him as saying.
IV.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120761201600.htm
No need for Modi to be sorry: BJP
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Nothing that Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi spoke warranted an apology, the
Bharatiya Janata Party said here on Thursday even as
the Communist Party of India sought his
"disqualification" from contesting elections and
filing of a criminal case against him.
There was absolutely no reason for him to be sorry
about the reference to Sohrabuddin Sheikh in his
election speech at Mangrol in south Gujarat on
Tuesday; Mr. Modi suggested that "he got what he
deserved," which was death at the hands of policemen
staging an encounter, party spokesperson V.K. Malhotra
said.
He was responding to questions related to Mr. Modi's
comments referring to Sohrabuddin who, according to
the Gujarat government's submission in the Supreme
Court, was done to death in a planned manner by some
rogue police officers.
CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said his party's
delegation would meet the Election Commission on
Friday to place its demand of disqualification before
it. "The EC should take suo motu notice of his
unpardonable remarks defending murder as well as his
role in engineering riots to win elections and bar him
from contesting," Mr. Dasgupta said.
As against the CPI's view, Mr. Malhotra went on the
offensive, saying Congress president Sonia Gandhi had
adopted an "anti-Hindu" and "hatred of Hindus"
attitude. "What about the Congress record during the
1984 anti-Sikh riots?" Mr. Malhotra countered. He
added that reporters should look at the "whole story."
After all, some Congressmen campaigning in Gujarat,
which was bound for polls, had described Hindus who
participated in the 2002 carnage in Gujarat as
"terrorists."
"Can Hindus be described as terrorists," the BJP
asked.
On the EC's decision to serve notice on the party in
connection with Mr. Modi's comments, the BJP's stand
was that it would study the notice and give an
appropriate response. When queried over comments by
Gujarat government counsel K.T.S. Tulsi that in view
of Mr. Modi's remarks he would be "returning the
brief" in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, Mr.
Malhotra suggested that efforts were on to "persuade"
him not to withdraw from the case.
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