The Hindu : Modi to woo tribals this time

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 21, 2002

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National

Modi to woo tribals this time

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD SEPT. 20. After the Kshatriyas and the Dalits, the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, will woo the tribals in the third leg of his "gaurav rath yatra" beginning tomorrow.

Starting from the famous tribal temple at Unnai in the extreme corner of south Gujarat, the `yatra' will travel about 550 km through Navsari, Bulsar and Surat districts covering 17 Assembly constituencies.

Though starting from Dangs district, it will skirt round the Christian-dominated areas of Waghai and Ahwa, district headquarters of Dangs, but will touch some villages in Navsari district having some concentration of Christian population.

A host of tribal BJP leaders and Central Ministers will be present at the flag off ceremony at Unnai to woo the tribal voters, traditionally the supporters of the Congress.

But the communal riots this time had demonstrated the involvement of the tribals in central and north Gujarat districts against the minorities.

Though south Gujarat by and large remained unaffected by the riots, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had been active in the tribal areas for the last few years.

Unnai was also one of the major centres carrying out conversion of willing Christians to Hinduism.

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