Author: HT Correspondent
Publication: Hindustan Times 
Date: January 29, 2014
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cong-ally-ncp-says-court-order-gujarat-riots-should-be-respected/article1-1178016.aspx

Two days after Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of aiding and abetting the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the Congress’ most trusted ally, the NCP, said the issue should be put to rest.

“We believe the judicial system is the final recourse to getting justice on any issue or bringing finality to any controversy. If the judicial system has given any pronouncement, we ought to respect it and not question it further,” union minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel said Wednesday.

He was referring to a Gujarat court accepting a Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team’s clean chit to Modi in the Gulbarg massacre case.

The Congress and NCP have been running a coalition government in Maharashtra since 1999. Sources in the coalition see the junior partner’s divergent views as a pressure tactic ahead of the finalization of seat-sharing in the state for the Lok Sabha polls.