If anything, he has become an embarrassment for the government and Modi in particular, with the opposition now demanding both their resignations.
AHMEDABAD: The suspense over whether the Supreme Court will order a CBI investigation into Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Kausarbi’s murders is giving Minister of home for state, Amit Shah sleepless nights.
BJP insiders say what is worrying him is that while his political boss and Chief Minister Narendra Modi is already planning a strategy to exploit the encounter issue ahead of polls, Shah himself does not figure in the grand scheme of things.
If anything, he has become an embarrassment for the government and Modi in particular, with the opposition now demanding both their resignations. The SC petition filed by Sohrabuddin’s brother Rubabuddin points a finger at Shah, and alleges that he tried to protect the accused cops. BJP insiders feel if a CBI inquiry is ordered, Shah may be forced to step down to protect Modi’s image.
“Modi has always been able to exploit any issue with communal undertones, including the Godhra carnage and Akshardham terror attack, and no one has any doubt that he will use this incident to bolster his image,” a Modi aide said.
It’s his ability to polarise votes on communal lines that has the Congress and various activists worried, as he may just emerge stronger from this crisis ahead of the polls. “Sohrabuddin was a criminal and belonged to the minority community.
The CM would simply have to say that while he was trying to fight terrorism,” said another BJP insider. As for Kausarbi’s murder, Modi supporters argue that the CM will wriggle out of the controversy as the government had already admitted the role of three top cops, who have already been arrested in the fake encounter case.
Ultimately, this leaves Shah in the precarious position of being the only person who will be negatively affected by a CBI probe.
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