Former bureaucrat moves EC over Shah speech

In a letter to the EC, former Union secretary E A S Sarma has referred to the remarks of Shah made the election rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district a few days ago.

New Delhi: A former bureaucrat has approached the Election Commission over Home Minister Amit Shah's speech at an election rally in Gujarat in which he said that perpetrators of violence were "taught a lesson" in 2002, asking the poll watchdog to ascertain the veracity of the remarks and take action if true.

In a letter to the EC, former Union secretary E A S Sarma has referred to the remarks of Shah made the election rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district a few days ago. In the rally, Shah had alleged, "During the Congress rule in Gujarat (before 1995), communal riots were rampant. Congress used to incite people of different communities and castes to fight against each other. Through such riots, Congress had strengthened its vote bank and did injustice to a large section of the society."

Shah claimed that Gujarat witnessed riots in 2002 because perpetrators became habitual of indulging in violence due to the prolonged support they received from the Congress. "But after they were taught a lesson in 2002, these elements left that path (of violence). They refrained from indulging in violence from 2002 till 2022. BJP has established permanent peace in Gujarat by taking strict action against those who used to indulge in communal violence," the Union minister had said.

Parts of Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following the train burning incident at Godhra railway station in February that year. In his letter to the poll panel last week, Sarma claimed Shah's statement, "if it is found to be true, violates the Model Code of Conduct. (PTI)