New Delhi

Union minister Prakash Javadekar today accused Congress of hatching a “conspiracy” in Ishrat Jahan and Malegaon blast cases, a day after NIA Chief Sharad Kumar said there was no evidence linking arrested Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit with the Samjhauta blast case.

“The revelation that the NIA has made is very important.

The manner in which this whole situation is now emerging, facts which have come out in the NIA investigation about Ishrat Jahan are very surprising.

“This is a clear example of where things can lead you if you use investigative agency under some conspiracy, if you use agencies only for political reasons,” he said attacking Congress without naming it.

Javadekar was responding to a question about statements by the NIA in Malegaon and Samjhauta cases as well as alleged different stands taken by Home Minister P Chidambaram during UPA regime on Ishrat Jahan case.

Ishrat was killed in an encounter by Gujarat Police in 2004. A major row erupted after the UPA government filed in September 2009 a second affidavit which, unlike the first, did not make any reference to her suspected LeT links.

Firing a fresh salvo at Sonia Gandhi over the Ishrat Jahan issue, BJP yesterday suggested that the Congress chief had asked the then Home Minister P Chidambaram to file a second affidavit in the case as UPA could “tolerate terrorists but not Narendra Modi as Prime Minister”.

PTI