Stating that BJP will also raise the issue in the Parliament session starting next week, Sitharaman said, "Congress cannot be let off... These are not small issues".
The BJP again raked up the 2004 Ishrat Jehan case on Monday accusing the Congress party of having underplayed "a terror plot" against the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi because it was "mortified" of fighting him politically.
The BJP attack came after a media report said the then Home Minister P Chidambaram had signed the first affidavit in the encounter case, which he had reportedly denied earlier.
"You underplayed a terror plot that could eliminate (Modi). You are clearly admitting that you cannot fight this politically. So eliminate or allow to eliminate or encourage elimination of the leader who you are mortified of fighting politically.
"...we (Congress) do everything possible in our hand to make sure that we make it appear that he is against some section, projected as if there is no terror threat against him," Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a press conference at the BJP headquarters.
The Congress and Chidambaram reacted to the development saying the BJP was ignoring and diluting the "real" issue of "fake" encounter in which Ishrat Jehan was killed.
Chidambaram said he cannot comment on the issue of the first affidavit without perusing the files and notings.
But, he said, the BJP was ignoring the "real" issue of the "fake" encounter in which Ishrat Jehan was killed.
Chidambaram said the second affidavit was filed in the case after thorough consultation with the then Home Secretary and Attorney General.
"My public statements on why the second affidavit was filed after due and full consultation with the Home Secretary and the Attorney General are self-explanatory. I have nothing to add," he said in a statement.
BJP will also raise the issue in the Parliament session starting next week, Sitharaman said, adding that "Congress cannot be let off... These are not small issues".
She alleged the Congress chief and Chidambaram had worked together and accused the UPA government of misleading the court and the nation by removing first affidavit's "critical parts" in the second affidavit.
"What we are missing out is both were affidavits, saying under oath. Both can't be true. You are misleading the court by hiding some facts which are already available to you..." she said, alleging that Congress was happy playing with "our enemies".
While Chidambaram has said he had signed the second affidavit, there was ambiguity and questions were raised about the first affidavit.
"It has been now proved that the first affidavit too was signed by Chidambaram," she said.
Asked about if government would take any action, she parried the query, saying she was making the comments on behalf of party.
While the first affidavit had said Ishrat Jahan was a LeT operative and there was a terror plot to kill Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, the second affidavit did not touch on both points, prompting BJP to see a political conspiracy by Congress against Modi.
To a question about Patel agitation turning violent again in Gujarat, she said the state government was willing to engage in talks with any group for peace.
Sitharaman also played down criticism of Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munder over her taking a selfie while on a tour of the drought-hit parts of the state, saying focus should be on the relief work.
She also reiterated she has not had problem in meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Her ministerial colleagues Piyush Goyal and Prakash Javadekar had said they could not meet the Chief Minister for work-related issues, inviting sharp response from AIADMK.
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