Ahmedabad: Fresh from his Sadbhavana fast last week in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in another show of strength, began his 'maha rally' today. The rally, which is being held at Vastrol on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, is being billed by the Chief Minister as a campaign to highlight what he calls "injustice against his government".
Addressing the rally, Mr Modi hit out at the Congress, accusing it conspiring to dislodge his government and running a "second state" through the Governor. This is in light of the recent appointment of the Lokayukta (ombudsman) by the Governor without the state government's consent. Justice R A Mehta was appointed as the Lokayukta by Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal. The Modi government has challenged the decision in the High Court.
"In the history of the country, this is a mega rally against the Governor. This is a mega rally against the conspiracy of the government", Mr Modi said.
Claiming that Governor had "lost the dignity of the post", Mr Modi demanded her recall.
The Gujarat strongman also said that despite its best efforts, the Congress had failed to come to power in the state.
"We want to remind the Congress government that this is democracy. It has been 20 years, but you have not been able to make a place in the hearts of the people of Gujarat", said the two-time chief minister who is hoping for a hat-trick with polls slated for next year.
The event is being organised at the Rapid Action Force ground. But unlike his recently-concluded three-day fast, Mr Modi's 'maha rally' did not boast of senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state unit of the party has, instead, decided to limit the agenda of the rally to issues specific to Gujarat.
The Sadbhavana fast held last week saw an array of senior BJP leaders, including stalwarts like L K Advani, sharing the stage with Mr Modi. Even as Mr Modi claimed that the occasion was aimed at highlighting and fostering "communal harmony" in Gujarat, most viewed it as an attempt at an image-makeover. The Gujarat chief minister's record has been blemished with the "communal" tag after riots ravaged the state in 2002. But, a recent Supreme Court order that refused to look into the merits of a case against him in connection with the riots and instead transferred it to a trial court in the state came as a huge relief for the chief minister and was hailed by the BJP as a vindication of sorts. Following the order, Mr Modi himself tweeted, "God is Great". The fast followed soon after with an emboldened Chief Minister, according to many, seizing on the opportunity to position himself as one of the party's top prime ministerial candidates.
The current 'maha rally' is not being viewed any differently. But the state BJP claims that the rally would just focus on the "injustice" meted out by the Centre towards the state.
"There is tremendous anger amongst the Gujaratis. The Centre is trying to target the Chief Minister time and again to destabilise him", Shankar Chaudhray, General Secterary of the Guajarat BJP said.
But with state elections due next year and the Congress planning to kick off its poll campaign on Wednesday, what Mr Modi's fast and rally aim at is anybody's guess. The Gujarat Chief Minister seems to have sounded the poll bugle in right earnest.
Addressing the rally, Mr Modi hit out at the Congress, accusing it conspiring to dislodge his government and running a "second state" through the Governor. This is in light of the recent appointment of the Lokayukta (ombudsman) by the Governor without the state government's consent. Justice R A Mehta was appointed as the Lokayukta by Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal. The Modi government has challenged the decision in the High Court.
"In the history of the country, this is a mega rally against the Governor. This is a mega rally against the conspiracy of the government", Mr Modi said.
Claiming that Governor had "lost the dignity of the post", Mr Modi demanded her recall.
The Gujarat strongman also said that despite its best efforts, the Congress had failed to come to power in the state.
"We want to remind the Congress government that this is democracy. It has been 20 years, but you have not been able to make a place in the hearts of the people of Gujarat", said the two-time chief minister who is hoping for a hat-trick with polls slated for next year.
The event is being organised at the Rapid Action Force ground. But unlike his recently-concluded three-day fast, Mr Modi's 'maha rally' did not boast of senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state unit of the party has, instead, decided to limit the agenda of the rally to issues specific to Gujarat.
The Sadbhavana fast held last week saw an array of senior BJP leaders, including stalwarts like L K Advani, sharing the stage with Mr Modi. Even as Mr Modi claimed that the occasion was aimed at highlighting and fostering "communal harmony" in Gujarat, most viewed it as an attempt at an image-makeover. The Gujarat chief minister's record has been blemished with the "communal" tag after riots ravaged the state in 2002. But, a recent Supreme Court order that refused to look into the merits of a case against him in connection with the riots and instead transferred it to a trial court in the state came as a huge relief for the chief minister and was hailed by the BJP as a vindication of sorts. Following the order, Mr Modi himself tweeted, "God is Great". The fast followed soon after with an emboldened Chief Minister, according to many, seizing on the opportunity to position himself as one of the party's top prime ministerial candidates.
The current 'maha rally' is not being viewed any differently. But the state BJP claims that the rally would just focus on the "injustice" meted out by the Centre towards the state.
"There is tremendous anger amongst the Gujaratis. The Centre is trying to target the Chief Minister time and again to destabilise him", Shankar Chaudhray, General Secterary of the Guajarat BJP said.
But with state elections due next year and the Congress planning to kick off its poll campaign on Wednesday, what Mr Modi's fast and rally aim at is anybody's guess. The Gujarat Chief Minister seems to have sounded the poll bugle in right earnest.
No comments:
Post a Comment