Congress calls charges against Ahmed Patel ‘mischievous’

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the SIT is ‘dancing to the tune of its political master’

The Congress on Saturday stoutly refuted the allegations made by Gujarat Police that social activist Teesta Setalvad and former IPS officer R.B. Sreekumar were working at the behest of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel to “destabilise” the Gujarat government headed by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The party called the charges against the late Congress leader “mischievous and manufactured”.

The Gujarat Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) had made these claims in an affidavit opposing Ms. Setalvad’s bail application before a sessions court in the State.

The police stated that Ms. Setalvad — who received money as well as Padma Shri award, RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt were part “of the larger conspiracy” to destabilise and cause dismissal of the elected government by fabricating evidence to implicate top functionaries of the State with regard to the communal riots. Police claimed Ms. Setalvad was seeking a Rajya Sabha berth for herself and “also received ₹30 lakh from Ahmed Patel”. 

Adding to the Gujarat Police’s assertion, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was the “driving force” behind the entire conspiracy and was working through Patel.

In a statement, Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said that the Gujarat Police’s claims are part of Prime Minister Modi’s “systematic strategy to absolve himself of any responsibility for the communal carnage unleashed when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002.” He further said that it was his “unwillingness and incapacity” to control the carnage that had led the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to remind the Chief Minister of his r ajdharma.

“The Prime Minister’s political vendetta machine clearly does not even spare the departed who were his political adversaries. This SIT is dancing to the tune of its political master and will sit wherever it is told to. We know how an earlier SIT chief was rewarded with a diplomatic assignment after he had given a ‘clean chit’ to the Chief Minister,” he added.

The attempt, Mr. Ramesh said, was aimed at vilifying a deceased person who is obviously unable and unavailable to refute such brazen lies. Patel died on November 25, 2020 of COVID-related complications.