Ahmedabad, 12 May 2012

Soon after the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team(SIT) cleared Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in its riot probe report, the mainstream media(known as MSM in online world) known for its anti-Modi stand has started attacking SIT Chief Raghavan. Few national media houses published stories on Shri Raghavan’s London travel and pointed finger at Gujarat govt for paying bills of such travels. While such hit job stories published on the front page, Shri Raghavan’s clarification found place on 10th page (in Hindustan Times Delhi edition) in left bottom corner of ‘short stories’ section. Following is Shri Raghavan’s clarification published in HT Delhi today:

You have carried a report suggesting that I compromised my position vis-a-vis the Gujarat government by accepting two trips to London in 2008 and 2009.

Please note that on both occasions, I was in London in my private capacity and had to visit to Ahmedabad at great personal inconvenience to attend to urgent SIT work.

Although I was entitled to executive class travel, I traveled economy class on both occasions.

My return air tickets cost less than Rs 40,000 each time. On the other hand, had I traveled from Chennai (instead of from London) to Ahmedabad by executive class, it would have cost Rs 65,000 each time. So, I saved the government Rs 50,000 on two trips.

To say that the state government favored me by sending me to London is mischievous and utter falsehood aimed at maligning my reputation.

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