Congress attacks BJP over LK Advani meeting Amit Shah in jail

Congress today attacked BJP over senior leader LK Advani meeting former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, an accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case, wondering what message the party wanted to send out to people by a gesture like this.

"If the former prime minister aspirant of the BJP goes and meets him (Shah) in jail, what is the signal the BJP is trying to send to the country in its belief in rule of law," party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

He said that the CBI, which had been entrusted by the Supreme Court with the investigation into the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, had found evidence against Shah.

Tewari said even the Gujarat government had admitted in an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the encounter was fake.

"The Supreme Court then entrusted the investigation to a SIT of Gujarat police which was subordinate to the then home minister Amit Shah. Subsequently, not being satisfied by the conduct of the SIT, the court entrusted this to the CBI which has found evidence against Shah," the spokesman added.

Earlier, Advani met Shah in Sabarmati jail along with state BJP in-charge Balbir Punj. The two leaders also went to Shah's residence to meet his family members.

"The Centre is using the CBI as a tool to defame our government which is absolutely incorrect. People will give them a reply. The results of yesterday's bye-election is not ordinary," Advani said after meeting Shah's family members in Ahmedabad.

Advani's visit assumes significance as it indicates that the BJP is firmly backing Shah, though he has been arrested by CBI.

The BJP has all along maintained that Shah is innocent and has been implicated in the fake encounter case of 2005.

Shah, a close aide of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, has been described by the CBI as the "kingpin" of the entire conspiracy leading to the encounter of Sohrabuddin, killing of his wife Kausarbi and also Tulsi Prajapati, a key witness.