BJP asks its MPs to go on offensive on Ishrat Jahan case

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday asked its members of parliament to go on the offensive against the Congress over the issue of Ishrat Jahan gun battle case.

The issue was discussed in the BJP parliamentary party meeting, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the MPs that the whole world knew Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist, but Congress and the then home minister P. Chidambaram tried to help her," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters here.

"This move of the then ruling party was intended to politically finish the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and the then state home minister Amit Shah," he added.

The Agusta Westland helicopter deal was also taken up in the meeting.

"The new revelations in the case exposed Congress and proved that it was all about scams," Naqvi said.

The BJP issued a whip for its MPs in both the houses, asking them to be present in parliament on all days of this week.

"It is aimed at ensuring party's full strength in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to counter opposition on various issues, including President's Rule in Uttarakhand," union Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told the MPs, sources said.

Sources said that Naidu also asked party MPs to ensure their attendance during elections to various parliamentary committees.

The Ishrat Jahan case refers to the gunning down of four alleged terrorists in Gujarat on June 15, 2004, which the CBI had alleged to be killing in a staged gun battle.

Later, several officials associated with the case, including those from the home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau, accused the then Congress-led UPA government of changing an affidavit for political gains.

The Agusta Westland case refers to a 2010 VIP helicopter deal involving alleged corruption.

--IANS

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