SEPT 6- As more skeletons tumble out of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s closet, excitement in the Congress camp is at an all-time high. The party’s media department has been in an overdrive too.
On September 2, a freelance journalist, Pushp Kumar Sharma, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court.
In the PIL, he alleged that BJP MPs Prakash Javdekar and Bhupendra Singh Yadav tried to impede the investigation into the 2006 Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case, in which former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah is the main accused.
Kumar also submitted a CD in the court to substantiate his charges. He then held a press conference in the afternoon which not many reporters attended. But within a few hours, the news spread and Congress’ media team got hold of the CD.
Initially suspicious, deliberations went on till late into the night at party MP Ajay Maken’s home on 10, Pandit Pant Marg.
Finally, several copies were made and it was decided to hold a press briefing on September 3 at the AICC office on Akbar Road.
Since Prajapati, the man killed in a fake encounter in 2006, belonged to the extremely backward community, it was decided that the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes PL Punia, a Congress MP, would brief the media.
The message for the briefing was circulated at 8.30 a.m, and it was decided that Maken would address the media along with Punia.
Punia claimed in the briefing that people from the Prajapati community had come to him with the CD and as chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, it was his duty to look into the issue.
Maken said the facts shown in the CD were “very serious and important”. “This is an attempt to influence the judicial process. The matter should be investigated by the CBI and till the probe is over, Modi should not remain in office. He should resign,” he said.
The issue did make some noise and news channels started showing it, but by afternoon, it lost momentum. As luck would have it, the 10-page resignation letter of suspended Gujarat DGP DG Vanzara surfaced by afternoon.
In the letter, the jailed IPS officer accused Modi and his close aide Amit Shah of betrayal and held them responsible for the fake encounters in Gujarat.
Congress decided to study the letter before making a statement. Maken, along with his aides, pored over the letter for two hours and chose specific points to prepare a statement. Around 9.15 pm, he gave a statement before the media at his house.
“It is the state of affairs in Mahatma Gandhi’s state where 32 police officers are in jail for human rights violations and encounter cases, out of which six are IPS officers. Six more IPS officers are also facing cases,” said Maken. The Congress MP demanded an explanation from the Gujarat government on Vanzara’s claims.
“Vanzara has clearly stated in his resignation letter that whenever there was a crisis in the government, they were always with the government. Modi and his government have to tell what those crises are and how the police was misutilised,” said Maken and demanded Modi’s resignation.
Once the statement was over, team Maken started calling TV channels, asking them to take note of his views in their prime time programmes.
The video clip of his statement was quickly uploaded on YouTube.
It was believed that by next day, the issue would occupy the entire media space and platform. “Vanzara’s resignation letter is as good as a confession and the court will surely take cognizance of it,” said Maken.
The CBI is mulling whether it should question Vanzara on the points in his resignation letter.
Congress leaders will avoid raising the issue in Parliament since the government needs to pass the Land Acquisition Bill, Pension Bill and other important legislation.
The current party strategy is to pose questions to Modi and BJP, based on the revelations, in all forums outside Parliament and to try and influence the media to keep their focus on the man and his party.
INDIA TODAY
