Centre cannot arrest Narendra Modi: Sibal

In a reply to a question,Sibal said “The right of anybody is with police,Centre cannot do anything in it.”

Speaking about the 2002 communal riots,Sibal said,”I am very pained that the progress of the cases (of 2002 riots),which were initiated way back in 2002,is very slow as nine years have passed”.

This shows that the kind of emergency required in such cases is not being felt. We want to ask how long should people (victims) wait? This cases should be tried on day-to-day basis so that people can get justice on time,the minister said.

“After nine years,we are still discussing whether these cases should go to CBI or not,or whether their trial should be conducted in Mumbai or Gujarat,” Sibal said adding “We should think why such cases are not treated as urgent cases as this is a question of lives of somebody’s daughter,mother,brothers and fathers.”

“You have appointed one Nanavati commission,and the hearing of the riot cases is going on for the past nine years. All the evidences will be destroyed in the period of nine years,” Sibal said.

Speaking about IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt,who filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against chief minister Narendra Modi,Sibal said,”This shows that India’s ruh (soul) is still alive”.

Targeting Modi on the Right To Education Act,Sibal,who is also Union Human Resource Development Minister,said,”Though this historical act was implemented in April 2010,Gujarat government is yet to form norms of neighbourhood schools.”

“Gujarat chief minister is saying that the state is vibrant,so its children should also be vibrant. However,they are not implementing the RTE act properly,” he added. As per a study in Gujarat 1,62,355 children are out of school. Most of them belong to disadvantaged sections of society like SCs,STs and minorities,he said.

The minister also accused Gujarat government of delay in forming State Commission for Protection of Child Rights under article 31. “If this commission is formed,a child can approach it if he or she is discriminated by a school or any other authority,” he said adding that Gujarat government has done precious little in making arrangements for reserving 25 per cent seats in private schools for the poor and

underprivileged children.

“In the rules which have been notified by the Gujarat government,they have asked schools to give admission to students either on first-come-first-serve basis or a draw system. The act strictly says that children should be selected by draw.”

Sibal said that Gujarat stands 15 in National Education Development Index,while 50 per cent of schools do not have separate toilet facility for girl students.