Ahmedabad, September 26: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today accused the Congress of conspiring to dislodge his regime through the Raj Bhavan as the state BJP passed a resolution seeking governor Kamla Beniwal’s recall.
“For the last three years, you (Congress) have used Raj Bhavan to make a back- door entry to run a parallel government. This is a mega rally against the conspiracy,” he said in Vastrol on Ahmedabad’s outskirts less than a week after his sadbhavna fast.
Modi’s team and the governor have been at loggerheads since Beniwal unilaterally appointed Justice R.A. Mehta as the lokayukta. She has also returned five bills passed by the Assembly in the last three years, forcing the government to challenge her decisions in the high court.
The chief minister claimed Beniwal had “lost the dignity of the post” and demanded her recall. “We have maintained silence since 2009 against the injustice by the governor’s office in order to maintain its dignity and grace.”
He alleged Beniwal was doing things outside the ambit of her powers. “Congress leaders are making the governor visit districts. Meetings with district officers are organised, she gives direct orders to them. This is not in her ambit of powers.
“We tried to reason this thing out with the governor. But the pressure of the Congress is very high and she cannot overcome it.”
He then trained guns on the Congress.
“In 2004, just 24 hours after the UPA came to power, Congress had said Modi should pack up as the Centre would invoke President’s rule here. Since then they are conspiring to remove my government,” Modi alleged. “But the Congress has not been able to impress the people of Gujarat for the last 20 years and they have remained out of power.
“Can a state have two governments? What will happen if there are two governments in one state? Where will the people go?”
In Delhi, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “Modi has a lot to hide… and keep it hidden. The chief minister doesn’t want the lokayukta to go into his corrupt deeds.”
—-PTI—-