GANDHINAGAR: The Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat on Saturday came under heavy attack from the Congress for allegedly encouraging corruption and politicising the Narmada dam issue.

Addressing a `Jan Mitra Shibir' of the Congress for party workers from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat here, party leaders both from the Centre and the State launched a frontal attack on the Government. The former NDA government at the Centre also came in for severe criticism for its alleged failure to check terrorism and for "encouraging corruption" in public life.

Pradesh Congress president, Bharat Solanki, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Arjun Modhvadia, as well as Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Suresh Pachauri, criticised Mr. Modi for politicising the Narmada dam issue, which all political parties in the State had so far considered above politics.

Mr. Solanki and other leaders said Mr. Modi should be thankful to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for taking a bold stand in the Supreme Court in favour of the construction of the dam after which the apex court permitted continuation of the work.

Mr. Solanki and Mr. Modhvadia pointed out that though Gujarat had provided Rs. 800 crores to Madhya Pradesh for rehabilitation of dam oustees, it had failed to take the necessary steps.

Mr. Pachauri, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, said Congress leaders in his State support the Narmada project but the BJP Government was not carrying forward the necessary rehabilitation work.

AICC general secretary and in-charge of Gujarat affairs, B.K. Hariprasad, who inaugurated the two-day camp, recounted the "sacrifices" of the national president, Sonia Gandhi, and wondered how the BJP was criticising the Office of Profit Bill when it supported a similar bill passed by its party Government in Jharkhand.

Both Mr. Hariprasad and Minister of State in the PMO, Prithviraj Chauhan, described the Modi administration as a "fascist government" and said the BJP want to perpetuate its ruling by creating divisions within communities and the Congress would have to prepare itself to defeat its designs.

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