Godhra case: BJP demands Lalu's dismissal

New Delhi, Oct 13: Hailing the decision of the Gujarat High Court striking down the parallel inquiry headed by a former Supreme Court judge, the BJP today demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to dismiss Railway Minister Lalu Prasad if he did not resign after the court's indictment.

BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley said that the BJP always contended that the alternate inquiry ordered into the burning and killing of passengers of a coach on Sabarmati Express at Godhra by the Railway Minister as 'unconstitutional'. A Commission headed by Justice Nanavati was already on the job and the Gujarat police were investigating the case of murder and subsequent riots and the court verdict had BJP's contention, he said.

He said the intention of Mr Prasad was to help and absolve the arson suspects and ahead of Bihar Assembly elections by appointing Justice Banerjee panel against the railway regulations nearly three years after the event. The Judge was not a nominee of Supreme Court but that of the minister and he had come up with a new theory that the fire started from within the burnt coach S6 of the Sabarmati Express. The court had prevented the laying of the report on the table of Parliament in which numerous Kar Sevaks returning from Ayodhya were killed in an arson, he said.

Mr Jaitley said the court had upheld the contention that the railways did not have powers to appoint alternate probe panel and it was a direct attempt to help the arson suspects. ''Mr Prasad should resign after this verdict or else the Prime Minister should drop him from the council of ministers,'' he urged.

UNI