M A I N   N E W S

Violence in Vadodara
Curfew still on in 2 areas

Ahmedabad, December 16
The police fired at least one round into the air to disperse two groups indulging in stone pelting in Vadodara this morning.

The situation was under control and patrolling was intensified in all sensitive areas of the Panigate area to prevent any further incident of violence, the police said.

Meanwhile, curfew from the sensitive Raopura area of Vadodara city was lifted today where violence broke out yesterday during the Assembly election victory marches by BJP activists in some sensitive areas.

The curfew was imposed only as a precautionary measure and there was no tension in the area, the officials said.

One person was killed and 17 were injured, one of them in police firing, after violence broke out during victory marches.

“The curfew has been lifted from 5 am, but the security forces and the police will continue to patrol the trouble-torn area,” senior police officials said.

The police had to fire to disengage the groups which indulged in heavy stone-pelting after the explosion of teargas shells failed to bring the situation under control.

Reports from Rajkot said, curfew continued in at least two sensitive areas of Vadodara. Officials said the situation was normal and a decision to lift curfew might be taken after the burial of the BJP worker who died in yesterday’s clash.

The Rajkot District Collector said “communally sensitive areas under Rajkot B division are still under curfew. The situation is normal as of now and there is no tension”. PTI 

Modi’s swearing-in on Dec 22
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of the ruling BJP acknowledges greetings after being re-elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party, in the state capital Gandhinagar on Monday. — Reuters photo

Gandhinagar, December 16
Acting Chief Minister Narendra Modi was today elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party at a meeting of the newly elected party MLAs. The swearing-in of the new ministry headed by Mr Modi, scheduled for December 22, will be attended by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani. It is for the first time that the BJP has come to power in a state for the third time in succession.

Party President Venkaiah Naidu, who presided over the meeting of the new MLAs, spoke to Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani over the telephone and conveyed the state BJP’s request to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which was accepted by both leaders. As a result, the national executive of the BJP, which was to meet on December 22 and 23 in New Delhi, will now meet on December 23 and 24.

The meeting of the MLAs at Town Hall here, which was attended by BJP workers from all over the state, began with the rendering of Vande Matram. The BJP workers, with saffron scarfs around their necks, showed their enthusiasm shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Matram.” The process of Mr Modi’s election was set in motion by senior BJP leader Ramdas Aggarwal who asked the MLAs to come up with their choice of names. Mr Modi’s name was proposed by former Health Minister Ashok Bhatt and seconded by a number of MLAs.

Immediately after his election, Mr Modi touched the feet of former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. Interestingly, Mr Patel in his speech, emphasised that the victory was of the party and not of any individual. Without mentioning Hindutva, Mr Modi said the BJP’s policies were the same today as these were with the Jan Sangh leaders decades ago. “Our policy is justice to all and appeasement to none,’’ he said, adding that five crore Gujaratis had an equal right over the government. He said lakhs of nameless party workers had contributed to the party’s success.

Mr Modi assured to take everyone along and urged the Congress to act as a responsible Opposition. Mr Naidu later admitted that Mr Modi’s election as leader of the BJP legislature Party was a formality, with the people giving an overwhelming verdict in the BJP’s favour under his leadership.

GUJARAT DIARY
Venkaiah calls Modi moody!
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

Gandhinagar, December 16
Each time BJP President Venkaiah Naidu took Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s name during the meeting to elect him as leader of the BJP Legislature Party, it evoked smiles all around. Modi sounded “moody” in Mr Naidu’s accent. The Chief Minister did not seem amused.

But in his turn, Mr Modi too made his MLAs smile. He said that stories would start circulating about who would be or would not be kept in the Cabinet. “Don’t believe anything till you hear from me,” he advised them. Mr Modi read a few lines from his poem which said that service and not the chair was his aim. “Path ka antim lakshya nahi hai singhasan chadte jana. Samaj ko saath leye hai aage badte jana.”

But the lines that evoked loudest cheer came from a former BJP MP who took a dig at Mr Modi’s rival in Maninagar, Mr Yatin Oza. “Oza, kyun bana hai bojha, ja kahin kho jaa,” he said, telling that the limerick was coined during the campaigning.

As soon as it was announced that Mr Modi had been unanimously elected leader of the legislature party, there was a rain of rose petals on the stage. The petals had been so placed by the organisers that they came in a shower at the opportune moment.

But Mr Modi preferred lotus (BJP’s symbol) to rose. “Kamal ne kamaal kar diya,” he said, adding that Goddess Lakshmi resides in lotus and where there was lotus there would be Lakshmi and wealth.

* * *

The swearing-in ceremony of Mr Narendra Modi, earlier scheduled for December 18, has been rescheduled to December 22. One reason could be the engagements of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. But another could be astrological advice given to Mr Modi. The Chief Minister apparently consults astrologers and locals say that a few pundits met him yesterday after the results started pouring in.