Teesta Setalvad, her NGO’s agenda was never to uplift Muslims socially or economically, says Zafar Sareshwala

Teesta's former aide Zafar Sareshwala opened the secret, used to work at the behest of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel

July 1, 2022

Zafar Sareshwala condemns Teesta Setalvad and her NGO for misusing the 2002 riots case

Businessman and former Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Zafar Sareshwala condemned Teesta Setalvad and her NGO, Center for Justice and Peace (CJP), for misusing the 2002 riots case and the cause of the Muslims. Sareshwala also alleged that Congress never helped Muslims.

Sareshwala 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.

“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 said, without naming Congress’ late leader Ahmed Patel.

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 organization.”

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

Questioning Teesta and her organization’s intent, Sareshwala said, “Some 1,600 innocent Muslims were killed, and 1000 business premises were set on fire in Ahmedabad. How many riot victims did Teesta visit? How many riot victims’ were rehabilitated by her or her organization? On the contrary, other Muslim organizations like Gujarat Sarvajanik Welfare Trust and Afzal Memon, Jamiat-E-Ulema-E-Hind, Siyasat, and other organizations 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 a clean chit to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, they have all the objections. This itself exposes her stand.”

[With Inputs from IANS]

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