The Hindu : Cong. drops plan to gherao Modi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 16, 2003

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Other States - Gujarat

Cong. drops plan to gherao Modi

By Manas Dasgupta

PATAN (North Gujarat) AUG. 15. With the Congress giving up the path of confrontation, the official Independence Day function as well as the parallel "people's flag-hoisting" ceremony sponsored by the Congress passed off peacefully in this small north Gujarat town today amid tight security.

There was an air of apprehension as the Congress had planned to "gherao" the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, during the official ceremony or during a the dozen or so functions in connection with the Independence Day. But the idea was dropped last night after the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Amarsinh Chaudhary, said the party "did not want to risk the lives of its young workers".

Referring to yesterday's alleged police lathicharge on agitating farmers in different parts of south Gujarat, Mr. Chaudhary said the party had realised that "an autocratic leader" such as Mr. Modi could not be relied upon. Police permission, held back earlier, was also granted to the Congress late last night for its parallel ceremony at Ganjbazar in the heart of the town, one km from the M.N. Science College where Mr. Modi unfurled the national flag.

Some Congress leaders alleged that police did attempt to disrupt a party-sponsored cultural programme late last night. The Congress boycotted all official functions and the party's State chief, Shankarsinh Waghela, announced that the boycott would continue till the Government withdrew the power tariff hike on the farm sector as well as the hike in court fees and school and college fees. Both the official ceremony and the Congress-sponsored function failed to draw sizable crowds.

While the audience at the official function was mainly made up of Government functionaries, VIP invitees and school children, the crowd at the Congress-ceremony were mostly Congress workers.

Mr. Modi confined himself to enumerating the development measures being taken by his Government, including announcing a Rs. two-crore grant for the development of Patan. At the Congress-sponsored ceremony, Vithhalbhai Pandya, father of the slain former Home Minister, Haren Pandya, lashed out at Mr. Modi.

Mr. Waghela questioned the advisability of shifting the ceremony to Patan and said it would have been better had the money been spent for providing basic amenities to the people.

The State Government organised several functions, including one where the local university was renamed after Hemachandra Acharya, an educationist.

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