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Swadeshi violence against MNCs condemned

Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has condemned those indulging in violence while protesting against the economic sanctions imposed on India following the Pokhran nuclear tests. He said such incidents will not be tolerated.

Some people in Gujarat had resorted to violence forcing foreign companies to stop selling their goods, he said in a statement.

He was referring to the attacks by the swadeshi brigade on multinationals -- several Coca-Cola and Pepsi trucks were also set on fire -- in the state.

There is no place for violence in a democratic society. ''I appeal to the enlightened citizens of Gujarat to refrain from violence and indulging in any harmful activities,'' Patel said.

''The administration will not tolerate any such activities. I appeal to all sections of society to exercise utmost restraint and desist from any such misguided actions,'' he added.

Earlier, Patel was reported to have described such incidents as the ''enthusiasm'' of the swadeshi activists.

So far, at least seven incidents of violence and arson have been reported from Ahmedabad and other places in Gujarat during the last week.

The police said 11 people had been arrested until Friday in connection with these incidents. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, however, denied any hand in these incidents.

In a related incident, four activists of the Hindu Shiv Sena, a newly-floated organisation, were detained in Ahmedabad yesterday and the effigy of US President Bill Clinton, which they were carrying, to burn had been seized.

Yesterday, in a fresh incident, swadeshi activists burnt a truck and damaged two other vehicles carrying foreign-made soft drinks in Surat.

Following this the multinational soft drink companies reportedly withdrew sponsorship of some events in Gujarat.

UNI

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