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Opposition demands President's
rule in Gujarat

Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Narendra Modi for dissolving the Gujarat assembly and seeking early polls, the opposition in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday demanded imposition of President's rule in the state.

Charging the Modi government with being involved in ethnic cleansing in the state, the opposition said polls should take place in March 2003, when the five-year term of the assembly ends.

"The entire state administration participated in looting, murder and rape...how can we think of free and fair elections under Modi?" asked Communist Party of India (Marxist) member Basudeb Acharia while initiating a discussion on relief and rehabilitation of riot victims in Gujarat under Rule 193, which does not entail voting.

Amidst interruptions and protests by ruling National Democratic Alliance members, Acharia said after the dissolution of the assembly, Modi had no business to be in the chief minister's chair.

When BJP members complained that Acharia was deviating from the topic of discussion, Speaker Manohar Joshi explained that both the ruling and the opposition leaders had agreed that other issues besides relief and rehabilitation of riot victims could also be raised in the course of the debate.

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