Date:15/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/15/stories/2004071515461100.htm

National

Nitish refutes Lalu's charge

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 14. The former Railway Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader, Nitish Kumar, today refuted his successor, Lalu Prasad's charge that as Minister he was part of a cover-up of the Godhra incident by the National Democratic Alliance Government. "There was no legal or constitutional requirement on the part of the Railways to get the incident probed. We did all that was required of us," said Mr. Nitish Kumar.

Briefing mediapersons following Mr. Lalu Prasad's charge that he had not got the Godhra incident probed sufficiently, the former Railway Minister denied it and accused his successor of "acting irresponsibly." "This is a political statement meant to address a particular community," he said.

Mr. Nitish Kumar said that under the rules, there were no legal grounds on which he could have ordered an inquiry. "The probe ordered by Mr. Lalu Prasad has no legal standing." Under the statutes it was for the Commissioner of Railway Safety to order a probe and as Minister, there was no way he could have done that, Mr. Nitish Kumar said. The Commissioner of Railway Safety had cited the prevailing atmosphere in Gujarat as the reason for his inability to probe the matter, he added.