Centre protecting Godhra carnage culprits, alleges Jaitley

Amritsar, Mar 4 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Arun Jaitley today charged the UPA Government at the Centre with protecting the culprits of Godhra train fire incident under the Banerjee Commission report.

Mr Jaitley said this was done despite the fact that the Gujarat High Court had restrained the Union Government from making public the final report of this commission.

Talking to mediaperson here after addressing the party workers, he said that this panel did not have any legal standing. ''Who is the Guilty or innocent, was to be decided by the judiciary and not by the railways,'' he remarked adding that there was lot of evidence and moreover the court had denied bail to 80 accused.

Mr Jaitley, the former union Law Minister, termed the panel report as ''absurd'', adding that the commission lacked credibility.

About 59 ''kar sewaks'' were burnt alive in the Sabarmati Express at the Godhra Railway Station in Gujarat on February 27, 2002, following a fire in 5-6 coach of the train.

Replying to a question about ongoing protest against Mr George W Bush, Mr Jaitley said the BJP had welcomed the visit of US President to India.

He, however, raised eyebrows over the double standard role being played by the UPA partner left parties which held demonstrations against Mr Bush's visit.

"They always play their game", he said adding that at the time of non-cooperation movement in 1942 they had opposed Gandhiji and in 1962 they had blamed India for Indo-China war.

Expressing his dissatisfaction over the Union Budget, he termed Union Finance Minister P Chidambram as high taxation Finance Minister who despite good growth rate had not done anything for infrustructure and not given any relief. "It seems this budget is like a revenue secretary budget", he remarked.

Strongly lashing out the Congress Government in Punjab, Mr Jaitley alleged that leaders had been indulging in corruption, favouritism, malpractices and maladministration, resulting in "complete disillusionment and frustration" among the masses.

He claimed that anti-incumbancy factor prevailed in the state which would help the BJP-Akali alliance in the forthcoming assembly elections. He appealed to the workers to gear up at grass root level to dislodge the Government headded by Capt Amarinder Singh.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab BJP President Avinash Rai Khanna, MP from Hoshiarpur, alleged that no constructive work had been carried out in the state during the four year rule of the Congress.

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