The Hindu : Move to disallow Indians of foreign origin in Gujarat local bodies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 13, 2003

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Move to disallow Indians of foreign origin in Gujarat local bodies

By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR NOV. 12. In a surprise move, the Gujarat Cabinet today appointed a three-member Cabinet sub-committee to amend the existing laws to prevent Indian nationals of foreign origin from holding prime posts in the elected local self-government bodies.

Briefing mediapersons on the Cabinet meeting held here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, which decided to appoint the sub-committee, the Urban Development Minister, I.K. Jadeja, could not explain either the need or the exigency for such a move but claimed that the "people's overwhelming feelings" were against allowing any Indian national of foreign origin to hold prime posts such as the sarpanch of village panchayats, president of municipalities or mayor of municipal corporations.

Mr. Jadeja refused to say how the State Government gauged the "feelings" of the people or whether it had conducted any sample survey to assess the public opinion in this regard.

Both the Cabinet resolution and Mr. Jadeja were silent on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and limited the committee's ambit within the State laws but observers here believe that the issue had apparently been raked up in view of the coming elections.

The sub-committee, headed by the Law Minister, Ashok Bhatt, with Mr. Jadeja and the Panchayat Minister, Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, as members has been asked to submit its report to the State Cabinet in three months. Mr. Jadeja said the report would be recommendatory and prepared after consulting the Law Commission as well as the Opposition parties.

Pointed out that the Constitution provide for the Indian nationals — even if they had foreign origin — to contest elections in the country, Mr. Jadeja said the committee's concern would be on the aspect where the Constitution was silent. It did not say anything about whether the Indian nationals with foreign origin could be allowed to hold prime posts in the local-self government bodies. But the people in general felt that only those well conversant with the religious, cultural and social sentiments of the local people should be allowed to hold such key posts and it was not possible for a person with foreign origin to realise the ethos of the people unless he or she was born and brought up in the same atmosphere.

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