Gujarat government's move to repaint in saffron the pick up stands for state transport buses along the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway has sparked a controversy with the opposition Congress accusing the ruling BJP of propagating its "communal ideology" through the hue, a charge denied by the government.
"In the name of upgradation of GSRTC (Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation), the state government painted the pick- up stands with saffron colour, which is nothing but an attempt to demonstrate their (BJP)'s communal ideology," Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said here today.
He said around 20 pick-up stands meant for state transport buses along the highway have been painted in saffron.
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However, the government refuted the charge of spreading communal ideology, saying the saffron colour is chosen so that the pick up stands could be visible in dark.
"We have decided to paint the pick-up stands of state transport buses, located along the highway, in saffron because it (the colour) could be visible in dark. There is no such communal thing as being alleged by Congress," State Transport Minister Vijay Rupani told PTI.
Seeking to blunt the criticism by Congress, Rupani said it was Congress and not BJP which plays the politics of appeasement and communalism.
"If you see in the past, it was during the Congress' regime in Gujarat when the busses of civic body and state transport were painted saffron," the minister said.
When asked whether the government will start painting other bus stands too in saffron, Rupani said, "there is no such thing."
However, the Congress said the BJP's decision to use saffron colour was nothing but propagation of their communal agenda.
"They could have painted it in white or green or they might have put a universal colour red which is used as an indication to stop busses, but as they are filled with the communal ideology, they did this," Doshi said.
He alleged that every act of the BJP government is reflective of their communal mindset.
