Anxious to avoid any polarisation of votes in Gujarat with Chief Minister Narendra Modi reverting to Hindutva plank, the Congress on Friday launched a damage-control exercise. It claimed that party president Sonia Gandhi’s controversial “merchant of death” remarks were aimed at “state functionaries” and not at Modi who had reacted by justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter.

“Mrs Gandhi never mentioned any names... Mrs Gandhi said nothing wrong. She said what the state Government has already admitted in the Supreme Court, nothing more, nothing less. She said nothing against Modi,” Union Minister Kapil Sibal said at a press conference here.

AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said in a press briefing early this week that “merchant of death” remark was the “most apposite” for Modi and it was rather “mild”. There has apparently been some rethinking in the party on this issue.

According to Sibal, her remarks were directed at state functionaries for the manner they were functioning. “On 24 April, Vanjhara (DIG D G Vanjhara, the main accused in fake encounter case) went to jail. Before that there were 14 encounters out of which 10 involved Vanjara. Most of them were about some conspiracy to attack Modi. Surprising thing is, there has been no encounter after April 24,” said Sibal.

Modi had said Sonia Gandhi’s remarks had provoked him into making the controversial remark about Sohrabuddin. Countering his claims, Sibal said, “He brought out half-page advertisements in all Gujarati newspapers—that were communal in nature—on November 28 and 30, much before Mrs Gandhi went to Gujarat.” A copy of the advertisement furnished by him read: “On the wounds of Godhra they poured salt. They appointed the Banerjee Commission.”

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