BJP suspects Congress' hands in sting against Modi

New Delhi, Oct 26 (UNI) The BJP today pointed fingers at Congress as being responsible for the post-Godhra violence sting against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and said it was a sinister design to raise communal temperature at a time when the party was seeking popular mandate for five years of development in one of the most prosperous states of the country.

BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said the timing of the operation was most important for stoking a five-year-old issue.

The other significant aspect was the past history of the sting operator.

The Tehelka group never did anything against the Congress either at the Centre or in the states. The tax rewards given by the present government at the Centre to Shankar Sharma, the investor in Tehelka group is an interesting link to arrive at the conclusion about who benefitted from this expose.

He said the Godhra train inferno and subsequent riots were all 'shocking and unfortunate' and contents of the sting ranged from empty boasting to entrapment and may possibly contain an element of truth also.

The issue is pending before a Commission of Inquiry and several Courts and the truth will be out, he said. However, one could not miss a vital point -- the deflection of the poll issue from development to communalising the atmosphere ahead of elections. The Election Commission should '' see who is doing this at whose behest at a time when Model code is in force.'' He said the sting operators had claimed that Mr Modi had visited Naroda Patiya area when he possibly could not have gone to the area and all his movements were a matter of record.

When a reporter asked a suggestive question if the Chief Minister himself was behind the sting, the top BJP leader said none can possibly think of producing 'self implicatory evidences'. This is an attempt by others to implicate Mr Modi some way or the other before Assembly elections.

The BJP doesn't want communal tensions. '' We all feel dismayed and discomforted at answering these uncomfortable questions,'' he remarked.

The party also sees a larger scheme behind the episode. Gujarat, for the Congress was a gone case but it was using 'Godhra stick' to beat the BJP at national and international level by a 'tottering UPA'.

The party had unsuccessfully used Banerjee committee before Bihar assembly elections, he added.

UNI