The Hindu : Front Page : Taslima welcome to stay in Gujarat: Modi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Taslima welcome to stay in Gujarat: Modi

Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday promised a “safe home” for Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen in the State and invited her if the Union government could not provide necessary protection to her.

Launching the BJP’s election campaign with a meeting at Botad, constituency of Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, he said Gujarat stood for peace and security. It was known for safety for women and protection of their prestige.

Mr. Modi said:

“The State government will provide her full protection and she will be safe in our State. During her stay, she can carry on with her work of literature and serve the mankind. Even if she criticises me, I will welcome it.

“I do not think her arrival will disrupt the communal harmony in the State. It is a national issue and should not be looked from the minority point of view.”

In an interview to a local newspaper too, Mr. Modi came out with similar observations.

Mr. Modi, who also addressed meetings at Rapar and Bulsar during the day, hit out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the Union government for “wiping out” the “Hindu culture” from the country.

Kicking up a new controversy, he said after refusing to accept the very existence of Lord Ram, the Union government had in the new Re. 2 coins removed the country’s map and put a “cross” in its place. “What does it indicate?” he asked.

Mr. Modi’s meetings was part of the party’s “carpet bombing” campaign for the Assembly elections. The campaign was launched simultaneously on Tuesday in over 50 of the 87 constituencies that go to the polls in the first phase on December 11.

The party’s senior national and State leaders fanned out to the Kutch-Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions that would come under the first phase and addressed over 75 public meetings.

They included national president Rajnath Singh; the former president, Venkaiah Naidu; general secretary in-charge of Gujarat elections Arun Jaitley; Sushma Swaraj; the former Union Minister, Ravishankar Prasad; the former Mahrashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Gopinath Munde; Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushilkumar Modi; the former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Arjun Munda; Vinay Katiyar; Kalraj Mishra; the former cricketer, Navjyot Singh Sidhu; television star Smriti Irani; and State party president Purshottam Rupala.

Tough fight

Dinsha Patel, who has been picked by the Congress to challenge Mr. Modi in Maninagar constituency in Ahmedabad, arrived here on Tuesday evening to file his nomination papers on Wednesday, last day for filing nominations for the second phase. He was selected to give a tough fight to Mr. Modi.

Sources in the Congress said Mr. Patel was selected as most other senior leaders turned down the offer. In the panel of three names, Mr. Patel, a Union Minister of State, was found to be the most suitable choice for the constituency that has about “Patel” voters, who were unhappy with Mr. Modi because of the dissent expressed by his political rival and former Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel.

Addressing meetings at Kalawad, Tankara and Rajkot, Mr Rajnath Singh mainly dwelt on the State’s development in the Modi regime.

The “Ram Setu” issue was the central theme of Mr. Venkaiah Naidu’s meetings and Mr. Jaitley harped on the security aspects of the State vis-À-vis a state of fear and insecurity in most other States threatened by terror activities or infested by naxalism.

Ms. Swaraj, at her meetings, attacked Ms. Gandhi for the Congress’ failure to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page