‘Modi has said nobody is above law and he has kept his word’

After Modi’s appearance before the SIT,two divergent currents were seen in the central BJP on Saturday.

BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy spoke more in terms of Modi’s personality. Rudy said Modi (through his appearance before SIT) “had demolished mischievous speculation about him” and that his “graceful action vindicated BJP’s position” and that it appeared that “SIT team is tired,Modi is not”.

Another spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman,who was officially fielded by the party to address the media after Modi’s deposition,talked in terms of “supremacy of institutions”. “Modi has said that nobody is above the law and he has kept his word,” Sitharaman said. “The SIT was formed by the Supreme Court. We should allow the courts to function and learn to respect institutions,” she said,adding that Modi was assisting SIT in the probe and that he had not been summoned by it. She also reminded the Congress about its track record on “respecting institutions” in the country.

She also slammed Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily for reportedly suggesting that Modi should co-operate with SIT,implying that one institution must not interfere in the functioning of another institution. She also reminded the Congress that “there were hardly any convictions in the 1984 riots” whereas “several people have already been convicted in the 2002 riots in Gujarat”. The main opposition also accused the media of being driven by activists pursuing the 2002 riots case.