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Congress behind attack on Raje cavalcade: BJP

Special Correspondent

CM must apologise, says Congress

Vasundhara Raje

JAIPUR: Hot on the heels of the attack on Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's cavalcade by Adivasi Meenas in Shivganj tehsil of Sirohi district, the political parties in Rajasthan are blaming each other for the violence. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has accused local Congress leaders of provoking the attack while the Congress has asked Ms. Raje to apologise to the Adivasi community for "hurting" their religious sentiments by breaking the tradition at the Gautam Rishi temple mela.

A dozen and a half persons were injured near Posalia gram panchayat in Sirohi on Sunday when the tribals set ablaze an escort vehicle and ambulance and damaged official vehicles of the Minister in charge of the district, Arjun Singh Deora, the district Collector and the police functionaries on the occasion of Ms. Raje's visit to the fair on the banks of the Posalia river on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border.

The entry of police personnel, who formed part of the VVIP entourage, into the temple premises in uniform— which is against tradition -- allegedly provoked the tribals to resort to violence though the police authorities vehemently deny this. "The violence was unprovoked and sudden. There were about 15-20 persons and after committing the crime they vanished," said Jodhpur Range Inspector-General N. R. K. Reddy from Sirohi on phone.

"The police is well aware of the traditions of the temple and I myself was in civil dress. The fact that there was no provocation from the rest of the over one lakh devotees gathered there indicates that the community's sentiments were not hurt," Mr. Reddy said, alleging a conspiracy angle behind the developments. "In 30-35 minutes it was all over as if stage-managed," he said. As such political leaders are not invited to grace the mela, which attracts lakhs of Adivasis. The local mela organisers take the responsibility for law and order at the three-day fair. Ms. Raje is the first Chief Minister to visit the place during the mela.

Though the violence took place a good distance from where Ms. Raje and her entourage stood, the attack, coming as it did after a similar flare-up among the tribals in Udaipur district at the Rishabdev temple in February this year, has unnerved those in power in the State.

"The Congress is behind the violence. The party is desperate after losing its support base among the Adivasis," charged Rajasthan BJP president Mahesh Sharma. On the other hand, Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot termed Ms. Raje's visit to the mela a "desperate act."

"In the wake of the fast eroding popularity of her Government, the Chief Minister was trying to make political capital by visiting Gautam Rishi Dham," Mr. Gehlot charged. The BJP MLA from neighbouring Pali district, Madan Rathore, accused Sanyam Lodha, the Congress MLA from Sirohi, of hatching a plot to disturb the Chief Minister's visit.

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