'Congress lets off Modi for N-Bill'

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party (SP) today charged the Congress-led UPA with striking a deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by letting off Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case and get the party to support the civil nuclear liability Bill.

Both Houses of the Parliament was adjourned following the uproar. “Congress, BJP ka khel, Narendra Modi ko mil gaya bail (the Congress and BJP played a game in bailing out Narendra Modi),” shouted the SP and RJD members.

They alleged former Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Amit Shah, a prime accused in the case, could not have taken a decision on the issue without the knowledge of Modi. “CBI is interrogating Shah who is only a small fish but the sharks are still out in the open,” said RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

The Congress brushed aside Prasad’s allegations as mere efforts to score political points.

“This is an absurd allegation. The nuclear liability bill has been recommended by the standing committee while the Sohrabuddin case is with the Supreme Court. RJD is a Bihar-centric party and we are fighting against each other in the state. Naturally they will try to mislead the voters with these false allegations,” Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said.

The standing committee on science and technology, however, managed to present its report today in Parliament.

Trouble began in both Houses soon after the session began. In Lok Sabha SP and RJD members stormed into the well of the House, protesting against the “clean chit” to Modi by CBI.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Left parties also joined in the protests. Later, LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan and RJD MPs sat on a dharna outside Parliament’s main gate. BJP too, denied charges of a “deal” with the Congress. “They have every right to talk about the deal because they are masters in striking deals. They saved the government in the Parliament. Who strikes deals is known to everyone. We have nothing to do with Congress. We are giving issue-based support,” BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.