Time for Modi to do some soul searching: Modhvadia

Mixed reactions to US decision to deny visa to state chief minister

Even as chief minister Narendra Modi is facing serious discontent from within his party, the rejection of his visa to the United States has given the Congress, the Opposition party in the state, another opportunity to attack the chief minister.

Modi was to pay a five-day visit to the US from March 20.

Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, Arjun Modhvadia on Friday charged the chief minister of linking a personal crisis with a threat to India's sovereignty. He advised Modi to do some soul searching as to why so many people were turning against him.

"Why does the chief minister always have to include the whole of Gujarat or for that matter the whole of India into a problem that is very personal? The chief minister would do himself a favour if he does some soul searching as to why so many persons are going against him and his style of functioning," Modhvadia said.

He added that the US constantly monitors human rights violations and the decision not to grant a visa could be based on its findings.

Modhvadia said Modi's statements that the US decision is against the Indian constitution and a challenge to India's sovereignty are baseless.

"I fail to understand how a visa rejection has affected India's sovereignty. In fact, the Congress-led UPA government did everything required of it to ensure that Modi got the US diplomatic visa," he said.

State BJP president Ranjendrasinh Rana termed the rejection of the visa by the US as an insult not of just the chief minister but to the country as a whole. "The government must take up the matter with the US," he said.

BJP state unit general secretary Jayanti Barot said the BJP will take to the streets in the next few days and organise several protest programmes against the US decision. "Protest programmes will be organised at every district headquarter on Saturday," he said.

Meanwhile, the US decision has evoked a mixed response from the Gujarati public. While some said Modi was trying to gain political mileage, others felt it was a sad development.

Nirav Pandya, an employee of a nationalised bank, said: "I do not think that the decision will affect Gujaratis travelling to the US. The chief minister should take care of his responsibilities for the state than think about his visa to the US. This is nothing but his new political gimmick."

Ramesh Patel, a graphic designer, also shared a similar view. "It appears he is attempting to put behind the discontent within the BJP that has come out in the open. I do not think that Gujaratis settled in the United States nor even those attempting to go there will be affected," he said.

Amit Kumar Singh, a tea stall owner, said the rejection of US visa of the chief minister was a sad incident for all Gujaratis. "This decision might affect the prospects of Gujaratis who are planning to travel to the US. After all, this is an issue concerning the chief minister," he said.

Rajesh Gohil, a student of the B K School Of Business Management in Ahmedabad, said: "Although I am not interested in politics, I feel that this is a shameful incident, not just for Gujaratis but also for all Indians."

"The Indian government should initiate steps against this incident, which amounts to an insult of Gujaratis. It also shows how the US treats Indians. I think that the rejection of the chief minister's US visa will affect the prospects of Gujarati businessman in the US and business relations between Gujarat and the US," said Suresh Patel, a small-scale manufacturer.

Rajiv Gandhi, an industrialist felt that the US is reacting rather harshly by not granting Modi a visa.

"The US is overreacting on visa issue. However, I feel this incident will not affect investment in the state from the US. But Gujaratis settled in the US might face problems," he said.