Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, Shankarsinh Vaghela on Wednesday asked Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya within the constitutional framework, now that the BJP has got an absolute majority, in a statement that could embarrass the Congress.
“When (Lal Krishna) Advani ji took out the Rath Yatra, BJP was at the climax (sic) in terms of votes but (Atal Behari) Vajpayee had to make compromises because of NDA.
“Now, BJP has a majority on its own. If NDA comes along, it is good. If not, build a Ram temple in Ayodhya within the Constitutional framework,” Mr. Vaghela said at a special session of the Legislative Assembly called to bid farewell to Mr. Modi, whose tenure as Chief Minister ended on Wednesday after ruling Gujarat for 12 years.
Mr. Vaghela, who had roots in the RSS and BJP, also spoke of BJP’s promise of enforcing a Uniform Civil Code and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley.
Mr. Vaghela had parted ways with BJP in 1996 to form his Rashtriya Janata Party and became Chief Minister before joining the Congress.
While touching upon the contentious issues, in his sarcasm-laced speech, Mr. Vaghela also referred to Godhra, a sore point in Modi’s otherwise remarkable political career, where the burning of Karsevaks in Sabarmati Express train triggered communal carnage in Gujarat in 2002.
“Godhra has played important role in the lives of two people from Gujarat who became Prime Ministers of India.
Morarji Desai was deputy collector of Godhra when riots broke out in 1927 and he was accused of bias (in handling it). After that he left the job and joined politics and later became prime minister,” Mr. Vaghela said.
Then turning to Modi, Mr. Vaghela said, “You spent life as a Pracharak in Godhra and Vadodara and I would not wish to go into what happened in 2002.”
“During the campaign many things were promised like giving jobs to youth and controlling inflation. Once you take oath, pressure will come on you to fulfil all these promises.
“You have said you will bring down inflation by 25 percent over the next six months. We will not ask you any questions till you complete one year (in office). But we will seek answers after one year about inflation,” he said.
On the issue of black money, Mr. Vaghela suggested constituting a committee under yoga guru Ramdev to bring it back. Baba Ramdev, facing several criminal cases relating to alleged financial irregularities by his firms, had strongly backed the BJP during the election campaign.
Mr. Vaghela also asked Mr. Modi to resolve all pending issues Gujarat had with the UPA government at the Centre.
He listed the issues like delay in construction of gates on the Narmada dam, gas prices and coal linkages for power plants in the state over which the Gujarat government under Modi was critical of the Centre.
Mr. Vaghela, who had cordial relations with Mr. Modi before the two parted ways, congratulated the Prime Minister-designate on his electoral success. He presented a shawl to Mr. Modi and both were seen exchanging pleasantries in the well of the House.
Correction
A sentence in “ >Vaghela lauds Modi ” (May 22, 2014) read: “Raking up the Godhra riots, Mr. Vaghela said Morarji Desai, former Prime Minister from Gujarat, was Deputy Collector of Godhra in 1969 when riots took place.” The correct year is 1927. In 1927, Morarji Desai was the Deputy Collector of Godhra as an officer of the Bombay Provincial Civil Services. Communal riots broke out during his tenure and he was accused of bias. He quit the post in 1930.
