Ahmedabad: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the 2002 Gujarat riots, has made shocking revelations about alleged social activist Teesta Setalvad. On Friday, the SIT told the sessions court that Teesta Setalvad, former DGP RB Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt were involved in a conspiracy to falsely implicate the Modi government in Gujarat and dislodge the government. Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel also had a role to play in all this.

Congress gave money to tarnish the image of Gujarat:-

Opposing the bail pleas filed by Setalvad and Sreekumar, the SIT filed an affidavit citing two witnesses and claimed that the conspiracy to tarnish the image of Gujarat was hatched at the behest of the then Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader late Ahmed Patel. The SIT's affidavit further states that the applicant (Setalvad) held a meeting with Ahmed Patel and took Rs 5 lakh in the first instance. A witness had given the money to Teesta at the behest of Congress leader Patel.

The SIT affidavit said that two days later they met at the Circuit House in Shahibaug in Ahmedabad, where Teesta received another Rs 25 lakh from Congress leader Patel. The SIT report clearly states that the money was not given for relief work, while the money was taken in the name of the Gujarat Relief Committee. Several political leaders were also present at the meeting between Teesta and Patel. According to the SIT affidavit, Setalvad visited relief camps within a week of the Godhra fire tragedy and held meetings with political functionaries. Four months after the riots, Teesta and Sanjiv Bhatt secretly visited Patel's house in Delhi.

Teesta Setalvad wanted to become a Rajya Sabha MP:-

The SIT, in its affidavit, has stated that in the year 2007, the Congress government at the Centre had given the Padma Shri to Setalvad. The SIT said Teesta wanted to become a Rajya Sabha MP. The SIT cited a witness for this, who claimed that Setalvad asked a political leader why not her when Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar were made MPs. Did Teesta, Shabana and Javed get a chance? Why am I not being made a member of the Rajya Sabha?

Teesta wanted to destabilise the Modi government:-

To further substantiate its claim of a political motive to destabilise the then Modi government in the state, the SIT in its affidavit had also referred to Setalvad's statement made after the bodies of riot victims were exhumed at Pandarwada in Panchmahals in 2006. In which she had told the media that the Gujarat government will have to resign within three days.

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