STATE TIMES NEWS NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that a fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time, while referring to a movie on the Godhra train-burning incident of 2002, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. Modi made the comments on X, reacting to a user’s post praising the movie “Sabarmati Report” for “bringing out the important truth of one of the most shameful events in our recent history”. The user also made other points, claiming that the “brutal burning of passengers” of the Sabarmati Express train was turned into a political minefield by a vested-interest group, who saw it as a means to tarnish the image of “one leader”, an apparent reference to Modi. The prime minister said, “Well said. It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it.” “A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time. Eventually, the facts will always come out!” he added. While the Gujarat Police had blamed a Muslim mob for setting fire to the train that was carrying a large number of pilgrims returning from Ayodhya, claims were also made about it being an accident. More than 50 passengers were killed in the fire, which was followed by communal riots in Gujarat. An enquiry panel constituted by former railway minister Lalu Prasad, a member of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, had supported the accident theory. However, many accused chargesheeted for setting the train on fire were convicted by courts, which validated the state police’s assertion.
