The Gujarat chief minister tore into his political opponents accusing them of resorting to lies to defame Gujarat.
Curtains came down on the Sadbhavana Mission in the temple town of Ambaji on Sunday. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi tore into his political opponents accusing them of resorting to lies to defame Gujarat. He also warned that the next 24 hours would see another attempt to defame him and the state, pointing to the harsh remarks made against him by Supreme Court amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran for the 2002 riots in his report.
Modi started his 33rd and the final one-day fast as part of the Sadbhavana Mission at 9:00 am, in the presence of almost the entire state cabinet, a large number of MLAs, MPs, and a large crowd. A continuous stream of visitors thronged the venue throughout the day and greeted the CM.
Addressing the gathering in Hindi, Modi claimed that the Sadbhavana Mission had been a huge success, and that even he was pleasantly surprised by it. "I had embarked on Sadbhavana Mission after touching my mother's feet, and I conclude it today at the feet of Ma Amba," he said.
Modi said that the Congress had been shaken by the success of Sadbhavana Mission. "These people have been spreading lies for the last 10 years. They cannot digest the success of Sadbhavana Mission, and will react to it within the next 24 hours," he charged, referring to Ramachandran's report recommending his prosecution under various charges for the 2002 riots, which was leaked on Sunday by Tehelka.
Incidentally, the petition of Zakia Jafri, the widow of slain ex-Congress MP, Ehsan Jafri, seeking a copy of the SIT report is also slated to come up for hearing before the Ahmedabad metropolitan court on Monday.
Modi described the Congress party as power-hungry, saying: "We are concerned with the khushi (happiness) of six crore Gujaratis, while their concern is only about the khurshi (power). For the last 10 years, they have been trying to paint a different picture altogether of Gujarat."
He said that a lot of development was taking place in Gujarat, but he was not satisfied with it, and wanted to do more. He attributed the state's development to the atmosphere of peace, unity and brotherhood. He appealed farmers in Banaskantha to adopt Green House technology for better yields. He said that the arid region of Banaskantha was poised to gain further from development in the coming years.
"The world is recognising Gujarat's development, but people are still not recognising the force behind it," he said further.
Continuing his tirade on the Congress, the chief minister said that the party had lost mental balance after failing to find a place in people's heart. He, however, claimed that he had nothing against the Congressmen. "In fact, I have helped them in venting out their anger. This is my Sadbhavana towards them," he quipped.
Modi also announced that development works worth Rs1,100 crore were going on in Banaskantha. He also announced a slew of developmental works, including roads, water supply, drainage, health and education, totaling Rs1,700 crore for Banaskantha.
Meanwhile, the Congress too held its satkarma fast around 1 km away from the Sadbhavana venue. Congress president Arjun Modhwadia accused Modi of wasting public money for political drama.
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