Teesta & her NGO’s agenda was never to uplift Muslims socially or economically: Zafar Sareshwala

AHMEDABAD: Businessman and former Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Zafar Sareshwala has lambasted Teesta Setalvad and her NGO, Center for Justice and Peace (CJP), for misusing the 2002 riots case and the cause of the Muslims.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Sareshwala on Monday said that Setalvad and her NGO never worked for the upliftment of the 2002 riot victims of Gujarat, and were only using the plight of the victims for their ulterior agenda.

Without naming Congress’ late leader Ahmed Patel, Sareshwala said, “Congress party’s big leader from Gujarat, who was considered to be the most powerful in the country was backing Teesta and he worked in Gujarat. The said leader never worked for the betterment of Muslims, forget the riot victims.”

Sareshwala also alleged that Congress never helped Muslims.

The Muslim businessman has alleged, “Teesta wanted to build her Taj Mahal on the graves of riot victim Muslims.”

According to the Muslim leader, “Late Haren Pandya, Gordhan Zadafia, Pravin Togadia, Babu Bajrangi and Jaydeep Patel were behind the 2002 riots. Haren Pandya had led a mob that torched my house, the mob torched a mosque in Vasna, but none of them were in the accused list prepared by Teesta and her organisation.”

He had raised these issues way back in 2002-03, but he was termed as anti-Muslim, said Zafar.

Questioning Teesta and her organisation’s intent, Sareshwala said, “Some 1,600 innocent Muslims were killed, 1000 business premises were set on fire in Ahmedabad. How many riot victim did Teesta visit? How many riot victims’ were rehabilitated by her or her organisation. On the contrary, other Muslim organisations like Gujarat Sarvajanik Welfare Trust and Afzal Memon, Jamiat-E-Ulema-E- Hind, Siyasat, and other organisations have rehabilitated the families of the victims.”

Suspecting Teesta’s motive, Zafar also made a point, “The Special Investigation Team was appointed by the Supreme Court, the apex court was monitoring the investigation, in seven major riot cases, the SIT has successfully investigated, and got the guilty convicted. That was accepted by Teesta and her team, but if the same team gives clean chit to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, they have all the objections. This itself exposes her stand.”