M A I N   N E W S

Army to stay in Gujarat: George
Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad, March 4
The Defence Minister, the George Fernandes, said today that fear and distrust among communities in Gujarat was not good for the country.

Mr Fernandes, who visited strife-torn Mehsana, Surat and Baroda today, said social organisations should come forward to rebuild the bridges of faith between the two main communities in the state.

The Defence Minister, who would tomorrow submit a report to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, about the situation in the state, said a decision about withdrawal of the Army from the violence-hit areas of Gujarat would be taken in the next two days. He, however, said the Army units would continue to be in the state even if they were taken off active patrolling.

Refuting criticism about the delay in arrival of the Army in the state, Mr Fernandes said the only time taken was for arranging logistical support of the Army units. He said there were almost two brigades of troops in the state.

Ms Jaya Jaitley, who was in Ahmedabad today, visited the civil hospital to talk to the victims of the violence.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Gujarat violence has increased to 532 with nine more killings reported from different parts of the state today.

While the situation in Ahmedabad was under control, incidents of violence were reported from other parts of the state. Two persons were killed in police firing in the Vijaynagar area of Sabarkantha district. One person died of police firing in Khera. Police officials said two persons were killed in mob violence at Vadodra, one in the Daod area of Panchmahal district and two in Mehsana. Life started limping back to normalcy in several parts of Ahmedabad though 40 areas of the city continued to be under curfew.

‘Hand over Gujarat to Army’
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 4
The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre today came under further pressure to take action in Gujarat by not only handing over the state to the Army but also restraining the VHP.

People’s Front leaders who met here under the chairmanship of veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu demanded that Gujarat be handed over to the Army immediately as that was the only way to restore normalcy in the state.

The People’s Front also asked the Centre to “bridle” the VHP before the entire country was “inflamed in communal conflagration” due to the outfit’s “provocative activities.” It also asked the Prime Minister to step down if he was unable to control VHP activists.

“Deliver or quit” was the crisp comment of former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Deve Gowda. The front leaders met almost for an hour at the residence of CPM leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet here. The meeting was called to take stock of the situation in Gujarat vis-a-vis the Ayodhya movement of the VHP.

The leaders demanded the dismissal of the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat for its “abject failure” to control the situation in the state which took the lives of more than 400 persons.

They also suspected “a conspiracy” to impose President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh to keep the BJP’s hold in the “communally and politically sensitive” state.

Front Chairman and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, morcha convener and former U.P. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan, Revolutionary Socialist Party leader and MP Abani Roy, Forward Bloc leader Dev Rajan and CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri were among those who attended the meeting.

The leaders also condoled the death of Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi and those killed in Gujarat.

BJP chief defends VHP
Tribune News Service

Ahmedabad, March 4
After Home Minister L.K. Advani’s virtual clean-chit to the Gujarat Government yesterday over the handling of the post-Godhra violence, it was BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy, who today focused more on the Godhra incidents than subsequent violence in the state.

Asked about the involvement of the VHP in the violence, Mr Krishnamurthy said it was wrong to blame an organisation for activities of certain misguided elements. “It is akin to blaming the Congress for actions of some municipal corporators who have been arrested in Godhra,” the BJP president said.

Aiming to put the Congress on the defensive, Mr Krishnamurthy said if certain Congressmen were found to be involved in violence, it did not mean that the entire Congress including its President Sonia Gandhi, was responsible. Describing the Godhra attacks as pre-planned, he said the Centre was quick to rush the Army.