Search the Internet          Tips

Narendra Modi apprehends Pakistan
design to defeat BJP in Gujarat

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed fears that Pakistan may intensify attempts to vitiate the communal atmosphere in the state through attacks on religious institutions with a view to ensuring the BJP's defeat in the coming assembly elections.

"Under pressure due to world opinion (against terrorism), Pakistan is now resorting to semi-terrorism - attacking religious institutions and distributing provocative pamphlets in the name of Hindu outfits. Such actions can increase in the coming days," Modi told PTI in his first interview after the announcement of the poll dates.

"Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf wants to install a government that suits him and we are determined to foil Islamabad's evil designs," he said adding Pakistan is also likely to pump in fake currency and narcotics.

However, he sidestepped a question on whether the state police had any specific intelligence inputs about the possibility of such attacks saying, "When the whole world knows about it, do we need any more information?"

Modi, widely criticised for his role in the post-Godhra communal riots in the state, said he would be seeking a 'positive vote' from the people of Gujarat on the basis of the party's 'performance'.

Charging the Congress with speaking in the 'Hurriyat's language', he alleged that state Congress president Shankersinh Vaghela had blamed the BJP for the Godhra incident during his recent visit to the United States and promised to permit a US religious freedom team to probe the communal violence.

"Ours is a Gaurav Yatra, theirs was a Dollar Yatra. The same people who attend Musharraf's functions attended his (Vaghela's) functions as well," Modi alleged.

He said the party expected to win more seats than it had in the last election to the 182-member assembly.

On the reported differences within the BJP, former chief minister Keshubhai Patel's absence on Thursday from the party's campaign launch at Karamsad, Modi said, "We are one. We were united and will remain united. Keshubhai could not be present as he had to attend a pre-arranged function in Saurashtra."

He refused to accept that the Gujarat polls would decide the fate of the BJP at the national level.

He welcomed the VHP's decision to launch an aggressive campaign in his support, but refused to comment on VHP leader Praveen Togadia's remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Refuting allegations that the BJP had little to show in the name of development, the chief minister said, "The state has made rapid progress in every walk of life during the BJP rule. We have constructed 20,000 check dams compared to 4,000 in the past 45 years."

Besides that, he cited the creation of a water grid - 'the first in the country', the linking of the Narmada with the Sabarmati river with plans to link all the 24 rivers in the state, the construction of the country's first expressway between Ahmedabad and Vadodara and work on stopping rivers from flowing into the sea and thus preventing wastage of water as among the major achievements of the BJP government.

Gujarat Elections 2002: The complete coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report