Amit Shah blamed CBI judge: Tewari

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari

Five days after the Panchkula violence triggered by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s conviction, the Congress on Tuesday targeted the BJP president and alleged that “Amit Shah had blamed the CBI judge for the violence”.

At the party’s official briefing in the Congress headquarters, former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari read out an August 27 report of Rashtradoot , a Rajasthan-based newspaper.

The report quoted Mr. Shah as saying that “if there is anyone responsible for the violence then it is only that judge who, ignoring apprehensions of violence, announced the judgment against the Baba.”

According to the newspaper, Mr. Tewari said, these comments were made at an interaction Mr. Shah had with journalists who cover the BJP.

“Neither has the BJP denied it so far nor has the honourable BJP president Amit Shah ji,” claimed Mr. Tewari at the briefing.

‘Factually incorrect’

The BJP didn’t officially respond even after the Congress press conference but party sources told The Hindu that the news report published by the Rajasthan-based newspaper was “factually incorrect.”

The Congress leader claimed that the newspaper, citing a top BJP leader, also said that “the Haryana government had advised the judge to deliver the verdict at a guest house at Sirsa or a local court there keeping in view the large number of supporters who had gathered at Panchkula but he [the judge] refused.”