Congress for removal of Modi

MANDATE 2004

The Lok Sabha results, where the Congress snatched six seats from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seems to have revived the party.

Top Congress leaders made it clear here yesterday that they would demand immediate removal of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Some of the newly-elected Congress MPs even demanded filing of criminal cases against Modi as he was the chief minister during the "massacres" and the President's Rule should be imposed in the state.

"It seems no BJP leader including former Prime Minister  Atal Bihari Vajpayee has any control on Modi. Vajpayee during his Gujarat visit after the communal violence had asked Modi to follow the 'rajyadharma', but the chief minister simply did not hear the advice of the Prime Minister and went a step further by filing petitions in the Supreme Court pleading innocence,"  said Shankersinh Vaghela, former chief minister.

Vaghela, who won the Kapadvanj Lok Sabha seat in the Kheda district, was in New Delhi yesterday to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

He also met several senior party leaders in the capital.

"The new Cabinet should dismiss the Modi government and bring relief for the people living in Gujarat including the minority and this will also sent a message to other countries and other governments about good governance by Congress. After Supreme Court ruling in the Best Bakery case, which now has been transferred to Maharashtra, Modi should have stepped down on his own or Vajpayee should have asked him to do so, which did not happen," Vaghela told Business Standard during an exclusive interview.

Madhusudan Mistry, state Congress leader and MP from Sabarkantha consituency also voiced similar with Vaghela. "There is a growing opinion among Congress leaders, especially those from Gujarat, that the Modi government should be dismissed. I am personally examining the issue and will take it up with the leadership. A decision on the issue will be taken after the Congress forms the government. Even senior leader Shankersinh Vaghela is pursuing this issue," said Mistry who is also presently camping in Delhi.

Another Congress leader who for the first time contested Parliamentary elections from Gujarat and also won this time from Saurashtra region, said, "I will suggest the party Highcommand to register criminal cases against Modi and the BJP Ministers who were instrumental in the riot cases after Godhra massacre. As the Head of the state, Modi can not evade trial against him and it may be recalled here that already a Court in Himmatnagar of Sabarkantha district has served a summons on him for killing of two British citizens during the riot in 2002."

Shaktisinh Gohil, another top state Congress leader, said, "Even the Prime Minister asked Modi to act properly but he did not act on Vajpayee's advise and Vajpayee even after observing that Modi not acting on his advises, did not bother to throw away Modi from Gujarat. Now people by their mandate has clearly sent a message to oust Modi as his campaigning even in Gujarat found to be wastage as people in Gujarat also has voted in huge numbers in favour of Congress."

While Modi could not be contacted inspite of repeated attempts, his party leaders including state president, Rajendrasinh Rana also could not be reached for his reaction on demands by the Congress leaders.