राजनीति

‘Modi ka naam de do’: Amit Shah reveals how CBI 'pressured’ him

Amit Shah recalled how the CBI was “putting pressure” on him to “frame” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat during the UPA government.

Union home minister has claimed that the Central Bureau of Investigation was “putting pressure” on him to “frame” Prime Minister in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat when he was being questioned by the probe agency during the Congress-led UPA government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.(File)

Speaking at News18 Rising India Summit on Wednesday, Shah recalled the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case filed against him when he was the Gujarat home minister. He was responding to a question on Opposition's charge that the Narendra Modi government is “misusing” central agencies to target them.

Shah also spoke on 's conviction in a criminal defamation case by a court in Surat and said the Congress leader was not the only politician who was convicted by a court and lost membership of the legislature.

When CBI arrested Amit Shah

“I will tell you how agencies are misused, I have been a victim of it… The Congress did not file a corruption case against us. There was an encounter when I was the home minister of Gujarat. A case was filed against me and the CBI arrested me,” Shah said at the event.

He added, “In 90 per cent of the questions during my interrogation, I was asked why I was getting bothered and they said they would leave me if I name Narendra Modi. Even then, we did not protest or wear black clothes or stop Parliament’s functioning. An SIT was formed against Modi which the Supreme Court itself dismissed.”

Shah alleged that during the entire interrogation, he was told to give them Modi’s name.

"In my entire interrogation, I was told ‘Modi ka naam de do, de do. But why should I frame him? Today, the same Congress is crying over its fate,” Shah said.

Amit Shah on Rahul Gandhi

Shah said instead of moving to a higher court, Rahul Gandhi has been trying to create hue and cry and blaming Modi for his fate. Shah said Rahul Gandhi should go to a higher court to fight his case, instead of trying to blame the PM.

He said the Congress was spreading misconception; conviction can't be stayed. “The sentence can be stayed if the court decides,” he said.

Shah said 17 prominent leaders, including Lalu Prasad, J Jayalalitha and Raashid Alvi, had lost their membership because of a 2013 Supreme Court order during the UPA government, which said an elected representative would lose his seat immediately after conviction. Still, no one protested wearing black clothes because it is the “law of the land”, he said.

“Listen to the full speech of Rahul Gandhi, he has not only spoken abusive words for Modi ji. He has spoken abusive words for the entire Modi community and OBC society,” Shah added.

Asked about the notice to vacate his bungalow, the home minister asked why should there be “special favour” when the Supreme Court had said to act as soon as the conviction comes into effect.

He said senior lawyers who are Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha should tell their colleagues that Lok Sabha Speaker has no role in the disqualification.

Shah on Gandhi's Savarkar remarks

Asked about Rahul's comment on Savarkar, Shah said Veer Savarkar was the only freedom fighter who was sentenced to two life terms in Andaman prison.

“Such language for such a freedom fighter should not have been used,” he said adding that Rahul Gandhi should read his grandmother's speech on Savarkar. “His own party people are advising him to not speak against Savarkar,” he said.

On Karnataka assembly election

Shah claimed the BJP would comfortably cross the halfway mark in the upcoming Karnataka assembly election, and form a government with a clear majority in the state.

Ruling out any alliance in Karnataka, Shah said, “The BJP will definitely cross the halfway mark and form the government with an absolute majority in Karnataka. We will win record mandate.”