Left parties demand Narendra Modi's resignation

New Delhi, Mar 04: The Left paties today (Mar 04, 2006) demanded the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi after the Godhra panel's final report said the fire in the Sabarmati express was 'accidental'.

''It is clear that Modi has no moral right to continue in office. The CPI (M) demands that he resign,'' the party Polit Bureau said.

In all these years neither the then Home Minister L K Advani nor the Modi government have been able to provide a shred of evidence to back their theory of a pre-planned conspiracy against the 'kar sevaks' who were in the train, it said.

The U C Banerjee Commission report now clearly shows that indeed there was no such conspiracy, the party said.

Fifty-nine people were killed in the fire in two compartments.

The incident triggered the communal riots in Gujarat.

''After this latest finding, the Modi government has no moral right to remain in office. Its continuation will be a national shame,'' said the CPI Central Secretariat.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said the report has ''virtually confirmed'' the apprehension that the fire in the train was used by Mr Modi and the Sangh Parivar to unleash the ''worst-ever'' anti-minority massacre in independent India.

The railway inquiry had earlier too confirmed in its interim report that those killed in the coach S 6 and S 7 were not the ''reserved passengers'', most of whom were later found alive by the railways.

Both the CPI (M) and the CPI said all the 84 people including two children arrested by the Gujarat police in connection with the Godhra blaze should be released immediately and cases against them must be withdrawn.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devarajan said the killings of innocent people were the result of government-sponsored terrorism.

UNI

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