Ahmedabad, Jul 26: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had steadfastly declined to answer questions on his alleged role in the post-Godhra violence, has refused to apologise for the riots and instead would prefer to be hanged if found guilty.
“Whatever I had said at that time you can check that. In 2004, I had given an interview in which I had said why should I apologise. If my government had done this, I should be hanged in public in such a way that it remains a less the next 100 years so that nobody dares to do it (such a crime),” he has said in an interview published in Urdu weekly Nai Duniya.
Though much of what Modi has said had been said on earlier occasions, it is significant that he had given an interview to a Urdu weekly, edited by Shahid Siddiqui, a former MP who is now with Samajwadi Party.
He was asked a question whether he was prepared to apologise for the post-Godhra riots in which more than 1,000 people, majority of them Muslims, were killed like Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh apologised for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Siddiqui said today that it was free-wheeling chat by him with Modi. He said he told the Chief Minister's office before the interview that he should be allowed to put all questions related to the 2002 violence and he should not quit in the middle.
He said the thought of interviewing Modi came to him when Salim Saab (Salman Khan's father) suggested to him that there should always be a dialogue.
Siddiqui said that for him politics and his profession of journalism are separate and this interview has nothing to do with his party.
Modi said in the interview that those who were talking about his apology were fanning trouble.
“If Modi had committed the crime then hang him. But if I am being accused because of political compulsion, then I have no answer.”
Asked if he felt sad about what had happened and whether he felt like regretting or apologising, the Chief Minister said “what is the meaning of apology now. I took responsibility then, regretted what had happened and I apologised. You can see what I had said in 2002.”
He accused the media of having done injustice to him for last 10 years and they should apologise to him.
Modi has been attempting an image make over and had conducted a Sadbhavana fast last year in Ahmedabad and replicated it in some other cities in Gujarat. T
he Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team has given a clean chit to Modi regarding his role in riots.
However, petitioner Zakia Zafri, wife of ex-Congress MP Eshan Zafri killed in Gulburg society case has decided to file a protest petition against the clean chit given to Modi by the SIT.
Speaking to India TV in Delhi, Nai Duniya editor Shahid Siddiqui said, Narendra Modi during the interview not only said that he should be hanged if found guilty, but also added that "such a big crime can never be pardoned. If you pardon such a big crime, then you will encourage crime", Modi said in the interview.
"During the one hour eight minutes interview, I noticed one thing. He had a smile on his lips throughout, but his eyes smiled not even once", said Siddiqui.
About the interview, Siddiqui said, the Gujarat chief minister's office had put condition that no part of the interview would be edited. "I also put the condition that Mr Modi must not walk out", said Siddiqui.
Asked about Modi's motive behind the interview, the Nai Duniya editor said, it was obvious, Modi want to refurbish his image.
"But his image can be refurbished only when the riot victims of Gujarat carnage say, they are satisfied. Those who saw their relatives killed before their eyes and their houses burnt, will have to change their view about Modi. My view is immaterial."
