M A I N   N E W S

Godhra not to be issue: Cong

Ahmedabad, November 28
Indicating that it was not going to raise the Godhra issue during the Gujarat Assembly poll, the Congress today said a commission to probe into the cooperative bank scam will be set up and five lakh jobs will be provided if elected to power and pledged to make the state secure.

Vowing to pull the state out of the “morass” it is in because of the BJP government’s “stunt politics” during its five-year-rule, the Congress in its manifesto released today accused the saffron party of shattering the economy and faith of the people of the state.

The manifesto was released by the AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat Mr Kamal Nath, at a press conference in the presence of the top functionaries of the party in the state.

Special courts will also be set up to inquire into the economic scams, he said, adding that a Congress government will take the state back to the path of “boundless progress.”

Asked whether Godhra would be made an election issue, Mr Kamal Nath said “we are talking about the future, peace, communal harmony and protecting the rights of people”. GPCC President Shankar Singh Vaghela also said the party was not going to make Godhra a poll issue.

Stating that the suffering of the people of all communities should end and people should resume a normal life, Mr Kamal Nath said “nothing is more important than a government which would maintain the peace, ensure law and order and take Gujarat back to the path of boundless progress.”

Sending enough signals that it plans to focus on local issues, the manifesto vowed to provide security for bank depositors and take steps to punish the guilty in the cooperative bank scam which affected over 70,000 persons.

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has directed the Gujarat Government not to use the services of commandants of the Home Guard in election-related work in the state which is going to the polls on December 12. However, jawans of the Home Guard could be deployed for election work except in their home districts, EC sources said. A decision to this effect was taken at a recent meeting which the Commission had with the Gujarat Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police. PTI, TNS