Congress used Ishrat case to frame Modi and Shah: BJP

Accusing erstwhile United Progressive Alliance regime of compromising national security to achieve its political interest in the Ishrat Jahan case, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said former Union Home minister P Chidambaram was resorting to falsehood by claiming that he was not aware of the first affidavit.

"Mr Chidambaram has spoken a blatant lie that he was not aware of the first affidavit. Now, it is in public domain that he approved the first affidavit and also approved the second affidavit as well," he told reporters in Kolkata.

"What was the first affidavit? The first affidavit was Ishrat Jahan was part of a terrorist module and action was taken, including some terrorists across the border. The first affidavit said it was a serious terrorist threat and there is no need for a CBI inquiry," the Union minister said.

"In the second affidavit, Chidambaram was very keen to pursue that bypassing the consultations with then home secretary. It is stated that CBI inquiry can be done. It has two purpose, demoralise the security forces and somehow frame Amit Shah and Narendra Modi in the case," he said.

"Ishrat was claimed as LeT mole by the Lashkar-E-Taiba website. And even (David) Headley in his deposition has confirmed that. Therefore, the Congress party needs to explain why national security was sought to be compromised for political reasons," Prasad said.

The BJP raked up the 2004 Ishrat case accusing the Congress of having underplayed "a terror plot" against the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi because it was "mortified" of fighting him politically.

The saffron fusillade came after a media report said the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had signed the first affidavit in the encounter case, which he had reportedly denied earlier.