Slamming the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for allegedly using the Central Bureau of Investigation to target the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Sohrabuddin case, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said any move to question Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the case would prove "suicidal" for the Congress.
"We learnt that CBI is going to question Gujarat Chief Minister Narendera Modi in connection with Sohrabuddin case, which would prove suicidal for the Congress party," he told reporters in Hyderabad.
"The Congress would be doomed if it goes to the extent of questioning Modi," Naidu warned.
The Congress intends to do a "political encounter" of the BJP by using Sohrabuddin fake encounter case to appease a particular community in the country, he alleged.
"We also learnt that CBI is planning to frame Modi in the case and any move will ultimately prove a suicide for Congress party," the senior BJP leader said.
Any attempt by Centre or CBI to malign the image of Gujarat, the best performing state government in the country, and its chief minister would be opposed tooth and nail, Naidu said.
"Do not play with fire as Modi is the best chief minister and a national leader who led Gujarat on the developmental path," he said.
The Congress is projecting Sohrabuddin as a national hero, who was a notorious criminal, arms smuggler and had association with the underworld and other criminals, Naidu alleged.
The arrest of 15 police officers and Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah for the sake of a smuggler has demoralized the Gujarat police force, Naidu said.
He questioned as to why CBI, which took over the investigation of Sohrabuddin case, targeting Gujarat state alone where two other states - Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan - were also involved in the case.
On the reports that CBI is planning to shift the Sohrabuddin case to some other state, the BJP leader said such attempt would be an attack on judiciary of Gujarat.
"Why don't they have confidence in state high court and judges?" he asked.
The Congress-led government is not concerned about the cases of terrorists like Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab but it is showing "over-enthusiasm" in the case of Sohrabuddin for political reasons, Naidu charged.
