<p> “We are not (yet) aware of the content of the judgment. We have to study the judgement,” Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said.<br /><br />“In political sense, whatever the judgment with regard to Godhra incident, the communal violence that erupted in Gujarat remained a blot on democracy. It is a blot on the record of Narendra Modi for which he will always have to answer the people of the nation,” said Natarajan.<br /><br />Commenting on the BJP’s claim of vindication that the train was set fire from outside, the Congress spokesperson said: “It still does not take away the fact that Modi and his government were single-handedly responsible for the riots that took place post the train carnage. This is the first court and there are other courts. I am sure that the litigants affected will have other recourse.”<br /><br />Speaking on the verdict, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily said it was too early to comment on it since there could possibly be an appeal process.<br /><br />“The courts of law will take their own course...there are processes involved because definitely there will be an appeal filed in the High Court. Therefore, it is premature to comment on this,” he said.<br /><br />Asked for his reaction on the acquittal of the main conspirator -Syed Hassan Umarji- Moily said as a law minister he could not comment on the judgement of a sessions court.<br /><br />“If there is any case, it is for the high court to interfere, not for me,” he said. The minister said it was necessary that the guilty are punished. <br /><br />Welcoming the verdict, the BJP was quick to pounce on the government for trying a cover-up. “This has exposed the nefarious designs of the UPA government which tried to cover up the entire ghastly episode,” party spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.<br /><br />Senior BJP leader and spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad attacked those who held Modi responsible for post-Godhra riots and doubting the involvement of minorities in the train carnage.<br /><br />While Home Minister P Chidambaram reserved his comments until he read the verdict, Minorities Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid believed it was important to understand the “reasoning” behind the judgement.<br /><br />“How can we say the verdict is good or bad without understanding the reasoning,” he said. Khurshid also added that the series of events surrounding the incident have often raised question marks on the level of confidence in the state government. <br /><br />“Only time will tell whether the verdict will help increase the level of confidence,” he said.</p>
<p> “We are not (yet) aware of the content of the judgment. We have to study the judgement,” Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said.<br /><br />“In political sense, whatever the judgment with regard to Godhra incident, the communal violence that erupted in Gujarat remained a blot on democracy. It is a blot on the record of Narendra Modi for which he will always have to answer the people of the nation,” said Natarajan.<br /><br />Commenting on the BJP’s claim of vindication that the train was set fire from outside, the Congress spokesperson said: “It still does not take away the fact that Modi and his government were single-handedly responsible for the riots that took place post the train carnage. This is the first court and there are other courts. I am sure that the litigants affected will have other recourse.”<br /><br />Speaking on the verdict, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily said it was too early to comment on it since there could possibly be an appeal process.<br /><br />“The courts of law will take their own course...there are processes involved because definitely there will be an appeal filed in the High Court. Therefore, it is premature to comment on this,” he said.<br /><br />Asked for his reaction on the acquittal of the main conspirator -Syed Hassan Umarji- Moily said as a law minister he could not comment on the judgement of a sessions court.<br /><br />“If there is any case, it is for the high court to interfere, not for me,” he said. The minister said it was necessary that the guilty are punished. <br /><br />Welcoming the verdict, the BJP was quick to pounce on the government for trying a cover-up. “This has exposed the nefarious designs of the UPA government which tried to cover up the entire ghastly episode,” party spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.<br /><br />Senior BJP leader and spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad attacked those who held Modi responsible for post-Godhra riots and doubting the involvement of minorities in the train carnage.<br /><br />While Home Minister P Chidambaram reserved his comments until he read the verdict, Minorities Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid believed it was important to understand the “reasoning” behind the judgement.<br /><br />“How can we say the verdict is good or bad without understanding the reasoning,” he said. Khurshid also added that the series of events surrounding the incident have often raised question marks on the level of confidence in the state government. <br /><br />“Only time will tell whether the verdict will help increase the level of confidence,” he said.</p>
