Relief for Narendra Modi in riots case but 'snooping' trouble remains

It was a bittersweet day for Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. While a local court upheld the closure of the special investigation team (SIT) report probing the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the Union cabinet on Thursday appointed an inquiry commission to probe the alleged snooping on a lady architect by the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. It ignored the inquiry panel set up by the Gujarat government two months ago.

The commission will be asked to finalise investigations within four months coinciding with the Lok Sabha elections in May. The BJP said the snooping probe was a “dirty trick” to defame Modi, but Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde rejected charges of a political vendetta.

Modi did not comment on the probe, but tweeted “Truth alone triumphs” after the court verdict.

“Truth by nature is self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear,” he wrote, borrowing the words of Mahatma Gandhi.