Former Home Secretary GK Pillai’s claim that an affidavit on the Ishrat Jahan case during UPA rule was changed at the “political level”, came in for criticism from the Congress, which questioned the timing of the remarks and accused him of parroting the ruling BJP’s version.
On the other hand, the BJP asked the Congress to come clean on the issue and praised Pillai for his “boldnesss” after he claimed on Friday that the affidavit, submitted to the Gujarat High Court in 2009, about LeT links of Ishrat Jahan and her accomplices, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2004, was changed at the “political level”.
“...it is unfortunate...Why say it today?” asked Congress leader Renuka Chaudhury.
Another Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said had the former Home Secretary made the statement then, it could have carried “more credibility”. “Now, he is parroting what BJP said. Who would believe him?” he asked.
The Congress-led UPA government had submitted two affidavits in 2009 — one, which said the four were terrorists and the second, two months later, which said there was no conclusive evidence.
But senior BJP leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said it was time the Congress made its stand clear on Ishrat Jahan and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
“A traitor, he (Guru) is responsible for the attack on Parliament...,” Naidu said, referring to former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s remarks that Guru’s case “was perhaps not correctly decided”.
Asked whether the government would take ‘action’ against Pillai for his remarks, Naidu said, “on the contrary, we should appreciate him for his boldness.”
JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi said the remarks of Pillai were “non-serious” as bureaucrats “do anything for transfers and postings”.
Former Home Secretary and BJP MP RK Singh said Jahan was “very much” part of LeT plot. He refused to comment on the changed affidavit saying he was not the Home Secretary then.