28 Apr : A belligerent Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was ready to go to jail if he was found to be involved in the 2002 riots in the state and accused Congress of hatching a conspiracy to put him behind bars.
In his first public response to the Supreme Court order on Monday directing the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe his alleged role and also of his administration in aiding and abetting the riots, Modi said he was not afraid of going behind bars for the people of the land.
"After three months I might be in jail. But people of Gujarat should remember one thing, that Modi will live for Gujarat and die for Gujarat," he said at a poll rally.
The Apex court had ordered the SIT probe "within three months" into a fresh complaint regarding the post-Godhra riots.
"If people ask me if you want to go to jail or gallows, then I will say I want to be hanged so that I can be reborn again to serve my Gujarat," Modi said, adding, "there are conspiracies against me to send me to jail."
Modi said "Union minister Kapil Sibal had given a threat that if I did not stop talking against Congress I would end up in jail."
"Just after 15 days the order has come from the Supreme Court. What does this mean?. This is a Congress conspiracy to send me behind bars," Modi said.
"On the one hand a foreign relative of Sonia (Gandhi), Quattrocchi has been given a clean chit by CBI. Everybody knows who controls CBI. On the other hand conspiracy is formed to sent me, who is the son of Bharat Mata, to jail," he added.
"To my Congress friends, I want to say that you have dialled the wrong number. You can scare the world not me. It has been seven years and everytime there is election, games are played to target Modi," the Chief Minister said.
"Inspite of all this, I will not stop my fight against terrorism. Delhi Sultanat can keep me any jail but nobody will be able to stop me," Modi added.
Taunting Sibal, the BJP leader said if there is no space in the existing jails in the country "create a new one for Modi."
"Modi is ready to spend his life in jail, But I am strong in my decisions," he added.