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Nanavati report’s timing questioned

The Nanavati-Shah Commission set up by the Gujarat government submitted its report on Thursday, amid speculation that chief minister Narendra Modi could use it for political gains.

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AHMEDABAD: The Nanavati-Shah Commission set up by the Gujarat government submitted its report on Thursday, amid speculation that chief minister Narendra Modi could use it for political gains.

Sources close to Modi said the report’s contents would decide whether it could have any political repercussions.

“If the report goes against the theories floated by the Modi government and the BJP and contains findings that can adversely affect the prospects of the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections, it may not be tabled in the assembly,” a source said.

According to commission sources, of the total 1,016 witnesses examined, 71 were for the Godhra train carnage.

Activist Teesta Setalvad of Citizens for Justice and Peace said she could not comment until she saw the report. However, she said she was sceptical about how far the report would go in pinning the guilty down.

“Justices (G) Shah, (GT) Nanavati and (Akshay) Mehta have not inspired much confidence. I want to see what they make of RB Sreekumar’s affidavits or Rahul Sharma’s CDs containing phone records that have been submitted to the commission.”
She said Modi could use the report to indirectly influence the SIT probe and gain political mileage in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

“In the light of the recent blasts in Ahmedabad, Modi is likely to make the report public soon. He is trying to position himself as a leader fighting terror.”

Setalvad also critcised the opposition, which she said failed to take a strong stand on incidents of terror and violence against Christians in Orissa and Karnataka.
“What can you say to an opposition that does not even believe in its own secularism?” she said.

Lawyer and activist Mukul Sinha also did not deny that the timing of  the report was aimed at the coming parliamentary elections. “Now, when the anti-terrorism sentiment is strong in the country because of the recent incidents, there is a possibility that Modi would use the report for political motives ahead of the parliamentary elections,” he said.
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