Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit back at his detractors, saying “every constitutional authority” was being “misused” to spread a canard against him.
Mr. Modi equated an “attack against him” with “defaming the six crore people of Gujarat,” and asserted that he would not be cowed down by “forces inimical to the people of the State.”
Speaking at a cultural extravaganza held here to mark the conclusion of the golden jubilee celebrations of the existence of the State and its entering the 51st year, Mr. Modi attacked his detractors in front of a massive crowd, largely comprising BJP workers.
Congress boycott
The Congress boycotted the celebrations, alleging that the official function had been converted into a ruling party jamboree. The Opposition party, instead, organised a parallel rally in the city to celebrate the event.
Mr. Modi claimed that while he and his government were busy undertaking “developmental activities” as part of the golden jubilee celebrations, his “detractors” had been “misusing every constitutional authority in the country” to spread a canard against him. He, however, did not name anyone.
“You try and target Modi but you have been doing this during the State's golden jubilee celebrations. In this celebration year, these forces, rather than contributing to the development of the State, have been working against it.”
Mr. Modi claimed that he was not the only target of attack “but the people of Gujarat are also being defamed.” Howsoever, these forces might try to “malign him,” he would not get distracted and would continue with his developmental activities. “Let them try as much as they want, I will not budge, nor will I bow down to these forces.”
Though the Assembly polls are due only in December next year, Mr. Modi called upon the people to “punish these forces politically” in the elections. “Such enemies of Gujarat should not be tolerated,” he said apparently hinting at the Congress.
‘It's Modi-centric'
Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil, while turning down Mr. Modi's invitation to attend the cultural event, alleged that the Chief Minister had converted the official function “into a platform only to project himself.” Both he and State Congress president Arjun Modhvadia said all attempts were being made only to “project the developments in the last nine years Mr. Modi has been Chief Minister as if Gujarat did not exist before that.”
Mr. Gohil pointed out that huge hoardings on the “Swarnim Gujarat” celebrations, which had come up in different parts of the State, carried only Mr. Modi's pictures. “The names of political leaders or illustrious writers like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B. R. Ambedkar, Narsinh Mehta, Jhaverchand Meghani, or Veer Narmad have been sadly missing from the literature published on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations.”
