BJP chief, Madhya Pradesh CM conspicuous by their absence from Modi’s fast
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Ahmedabad: Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day Sadbhavna(goodwill) fast began on Saturday with some senior BJP leaders including L K Advani and Arun Jaitley attending it but national BJP president Nitin Gadkari and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan being conspicuous by their absence.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party Janta Dal(United) is an NDA partner, was also absent. What is surprising is that JD(U) president Sharad Yadav has strongly criticized Modi’s “five star’’ fast saying that 70 per cent of Indians fast every day because they had nothing to eat and starved and hence there was nothing great about Modi’s fast.
BJP sources said that Gadkari would not be able to come because of his illness and there was no word from party CM Chauhan to attend it or not. But the sources say that it indicated differences among the top BJP leaders with regard to Modi and his bid to project himself as prime ministerial candidate for 2014 parliamentary elections.
Those present were Arunj Jaitley, Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, whose Akali Dali is a partner of NDA and two emissaries sent by TN chief minister Jayalalitha.
There were some Muslims also seen among the audience as also on the dais. However, most of them happened to be Dawoodi Bohras, a sect of wealthy Shia Muslims, who have been supporting and inviting Modi to all his functions.
Muslims were specifically invited to show that now Modi, who invited wrath of the human rights activists from all over the globe after 2002 anti-Muslim riots with the complicity of the state government led by him and was also denied visa by the United States for violation of human rights, had the support of all the communities in the state. Several Muslim children with `topis’ and Muslim men with long flowing beards were seen wishing Modi on the dais as September 17 also happened to be his birthday. However, there was no prominent Muslim from the state having attended the programme.
However, in his speech Modi tried to say that 2002 riots were an aberration but the state had overcome it and all the communities had progressed under him. However, he avoided tendering any apology for the riots as Muslims and human rights activists had been demanding that Modi must apologise for the riots of 2002.
He tried to impress upon the people saying that Gujarat had been free from communal violence since then and it remained peaceful even when Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar was attacked and serial bomb blasts in July 2008 resulted in death of more than five dozen people and injuries to several others.
Jagruti Pandya, wife of former BJP minister Haren Pandya killed in March 2003, wanted to hand over a memorandum to L K Advani to demand arrest and punishment to the real killers of her husband but was prevented from reaching the venue.
Modi’s fast also led to chain fasts. Congress leaders Shankersinh Vaghela and Arjun Modhwadia are also sitting on three day fast from today in front of the Sabarmati Ashram to what they say to “expose Modi’s farce, lies and corruption’’. Parents of two minor children-Abhishek and Dipesh-murdered in the Asaram Bapu Ashram three years ago- also joined the fast with Congress leaders to demand identification of the accused and their arrest. Asaram, a religious leader, is considered to be very close to Advani.
Cattle-breeders called ‘Maldharis’ in the local language are also sitting on three-day fast on Ahram Road to protest cow killing during Modi’s regime. They have been running a campaign against Modi over the issue of cow slaughter in the state for the last two months.