Snooping row: Congress demands Modi's resignation

It also castigated Gujarat government for "banning" the entry of journalists into the state secretariat

Congress today demanded resignation of BJP's Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi as the Gujarat Chief Minister over the alleged illegal surveillance of a woman by state agencies and sought a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the issue.

"He (Modi) should quit if he has any morals. But Modi and morals always travel in opposite directions," said senior Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil as he demanded a probe into the snooping episode by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

At a press conference here, he said even if anyone, including the victim or her father, did not want the matter to be probed, the state government could suo motu become a complainant and get the guilty prosecuted as the offence was "non-compoundable" for which no compromise is allowed between the accused and the victim under law.

Gohil also alleged that a "compromise" was arrived at later and the state government allotted a "big project in Gandhinagar running into crores" to a company run by the woman in which two of her brothers were directors.

He said he had acquired information through RTI on "how public exchequer was misused to benefit the victim of the snooping" and threatened to reveal it if Modi denied the charges.

"I am not doing so now because the RTI information has the name of the woman which I don't want to reveal."

Congress leader Shobha Ojha, who was also present at the press conference, condemned the alleged sexual assault by Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal on a woman journalist and welcomed the Goa government's probe into the matter.

"We have zero tolerance towards sexual harassment. ... All are equal before the law, whether it is the Chief Minister or a judge, a policeman or Tejpal or a commoner. Law should take its course in all such cases," she said.

"Had the Gujarat government itself come forward and ordered a probe like this, then BJP's duplicity would not have come to the fore," Ojha said.

Gohil also castigated Gujarat government for banning the entry of journalists into the state secretariat and demanded that it be lifted forthwith.