Modi lambastes Congress for fake encounter case

Jamnagar, Gujarat, July 21 (UNI) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today criticised Congress for allegedly driving political mileage out of the 2005 fake encounter case of underworld don Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kauser Bi.

''By taking up Sohrabuddin issue, Congress is lending support to terrorism which will not be tolerated by the people of Gujarat,'' Mr Modi said while addressing a function at Sikka near Jamnagar, about 400 km from the state capital of Gandhinagar, where he laid a foundation stone of a proposed power house project.

''The people of Gujarat will give a befitting reply to any act of terrorism in the state,'' he said reffering to a statement ''Keep jail ready for VIPs (involved in Sohrabuddin case)'' made by a Congress leader in the state assembly floor yesterday.

''We are ready to fill jail. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has her government at the Centre, with CBI at its beck and call, it should immediately put all of us (ministers of Gujarat government) behind the bars,'' Mr Modi challenged the Central government.

Lamenting Congress' policy of minority appeasement, he said, ''It is a shame that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he had a sleepless night after watching the mother of the arrested terrorist from Bangalore in UK bombing case shed tears. Why doesn't Mr Singh feel sorry for the thousands killed at the hands of terrorists in Kashmir or in Mumbai bomb blasts?'' UNI