The Hindu : Let's make a new Gujarat : Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 02, 2002

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Let's make a new Gujarat : Sonia

By Manas Dasgupta

The Congres president, Sonia Gandhi, talking with actress and social activist, Nafisa Ali, (right) during the Women's Peace March in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. — AP

AHMEDABAD May 1. The Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today came down heavily on the ruling BJP as it stood for ``corruption, communalism and mal-administration.'' Addressing a farmers' rally at Porbandar, Ms. Gandhi condemned both the Godhra carnage and the post-Godhra violence in the State. Without naming the BJP or the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, she said those who were at the helm of affairs could have prevented the communal holocaust but did not do so only to take political advantage of the situation.

Referring to the Godhra carnage, she said the perpetrators of the Godhra carnage were ``devils''. But what followed the train tragedy was equally shameful and condemnable. Those who did not try to prevent it were turning `Gandhiji's Gujarat into Godse's Gujarat', she said.

Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, she wondered what ``Raj Dharma'' he had advised Mr. Modi to perform.

In a brief chat with media persons here at the end of her day's visit to the riot-hit state, she said that it was because of the Opposition-sponsored censure motion in the Lok Sabha that the Prime Minister had announced the rehabilitation package.

Ms. Gandhi, who began her visit from Porbandar attending an all-religious prayer meeting at Kirti Mandir, the house where Mahatma Gandhi was born, addressed a farmers' rally at the port town. Later she arrived in Ahmedabad to lead a ``peace march'' by women and was present at a prayer meeting for restoration of peace.

Modi'scharge

Ms Gandhi's visit and the peace march, however, drew flak from Mr. Modi who at a public function on the occasion of the state's foundation day said Ms. Gandhi should have gone to the riot-hit areas appealing for peace among the people. But apparently, peace was not her intention as she had come only to make a ``show'' to play ``votebank politics''.

Strongly attacking the Congress, he said it would have to answer the people of the State for projecting the five crore people of the State as ``rapists and goondas.'' He regretted that Parliament was used by the Opposition `only to target the Prime Minister in the name of Gujarat'. About his own resignation, he said the need of the hour was not change of the Chief Minister, but relief and rehabilitation of the riot-affected.

Mr. Modi, who is scheduled to lead a peace march in Vadodara tomorrow, thanked the Prime Minister for the Rs. 150 crore rehabilitation package, which he said would go a long way in providing relief to the affected.

Meanwhile, the situation in the State remained peaceful today barring some stray incidents of stone-throwing in Ranip locality in Ahmedabad forcing the police to burst teargas shells after three factories were set afire by mobs.

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