Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised The Sabarmati Report film, stating that it exposes the truth behind the fateful episode to broad daylight. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the film.

Speaking about the film, Amit Shah said that the ecosystem cannot keep the truth at bay forever no matter how hard it tries. He added that no matter how hard a powerful ecosystem tries, it cannot keep the truth hidden in darkness forever. The Union Home Minister continued that the film The Sabarmati Report defies the ecosystem with unparalleled courage and exposes the truth behind the fateful episode to broad daylight.

The film portrays the horrific incident of the February 27, 2002 incident when 59 people, including 10 children, were burnt to death in a train by a mob at Godhra in Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is also currently on a three-nation visit, endorsed the film on Sunday stating that fake narrative regarding things can last for a short time and the facts have come out through this film.

PM Modi further tweeted that the film is well said, adding it is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it. He also said that a fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time, and eventually, the facts will always come out.

Notably, Narendra Modi was sworn in as the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 and it was not even a year since when on February 27, 2002, four compartments with the S6 bogey of a train carrying Karsevaks who were returning from a religious event in Ayodhya were set on fire.

Reportedly, the train was running from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur to Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. Several eyewitness accounts revealed that as the train departed Godhra, emergency brakes were pulled and mobs attacked the train from outside and set the bogey on fire, claiming the lives of 59 people.

At present, the incident is widely termed as the trigger for the 2002 Godhra riots. Though there have been several films made on the riots, The Sabarmati Report seems to be the first such film that attempts to portray the painful episode in which 59 human lives were burnt to smoke.

Delhi former Transport Minister and one of the ruling AAP’s senior most leaders, Kailash Gahlot joined the rivals BJP in the presence of Union Minister ML Khattar and Harsh Malhotra. Union Minister ML Khattar described Kailash Gahlot’s induction as a turning point, especially before the February election.

After joining BJP, Kailash Gahlot said that this was not an easy step for him as he was a part of the AAP since the time of Anna Hazare, the anti-corruption activist whose popular movement birthed the AAP, and that he has worked for Delhi throughout as MLA and minister.

He clarified  that he did not take any decision under pressure, adding that some may think that this is an overnight decision or due to pressure. He also rejected speculations that the move was the result of pressure from federal investigative agencies.

Slamming AAP,  he stated that there is a narrative that he switched due to Central Bureau of Investigation or Enforcement Directorate pressure, adding that since 2015, as an AAP member, as MLA, and as Minister he has never done anything due to pressure. He noted that the fact is AAP compromised its values, adding that the party’s political ambitions had overtaken its commitment to the people. Gahlot attributed his resignation decision to the dwindling credibility of AAP on several issues.

This switch by Gahlot, who was incharge of portfolios of Home, Administrative Reforms, IT and Women and Child Development, comes at a time when the party is gearing up for the Delhi Assembly election slated to be held in February next year.

Notably, he is the third member of the Kejriwal cabinet to have quit the party and the ministerial portfolio. Earlier in April, Raaj Kumar Anand, the minister in charge of social welfare and labour and employment, quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal has maintained silence on the resignation so far. At an event Sunday he declined to answer questions on Kailash Gahlot, passing the microphone to senior leader Durgesh Pathak instead.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan: ek hai to safe hai, accusing him of prioritizing the interests of business tycoon Gautam Adani over the people of Maharashtra. 

He explained the nexus between the slogan and Mumbai’s Dharavi project being given to Adani. Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader quoted PM Narendra Modi’s slogan, questioning who is one, who is safe and whose is it safe? He then continued that the answer is, there is Narendra Modi, Adani, Amit Shah and there is safe Adani, and at the same time, the people of Maharashtra and Dharavi are the ones who suffer loss.

The Congress MP said that  the Dharavi redevelopment is unfair, and it is being done to benefit only one person. He added that they are not convinced how tenders are being given, mentioning that only one person is given all the ports, airports and wealth of India. Furthermore, he also endorsed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s promise to cancel the Dharavi project tender if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comes to power.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that major industrial projects had been moved out of Maharashtra to Gujarat, accusing the Eknath Shine government of depriving the state of economic opportunities. He noted that a total of Rs 7 lakh crore worth of projects like Foxconn and Airbus have been shifted to Gujarat, taking away 5 lakh jobs from the people of Maharashtra.

Terming the Maharashtra election as a contest between the billionaires and the poor, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress government would side with the farmers, poor and the unemployed. He noted that the main issues are employment and inflation.

Earlier, The BJP has defended the Dharavi project, calling it a transformative initiative to provide better living conditions and infrastructure for the residents of the slum area.