Cong leaders,Advani keep away from post-poll MPs’ meet

Chief Minister Narendra Modi made a powerful presentation on matters close to his heart like getting more funds released for Gujarat,

removal of ‘injustice’ to the state,gas pricing,

LPG quota,laxity in coastal safety preparedness and the state’s share in central revenue collection.

The Congress Lok Sabha members were invited officially but they would not attend saying the invite

was sent very late,giving them no time to make it to the meeting.

Jagdish Thakore,elected Congress MP from Patan seat,expressed his displeasure over the delayed invite. He said the Congress MPs were not against attending the meeting. “We were preparing our own list of issues to be taken up with the state government and wanted to utilize this opportunity but our request for extension of the date of the meeting was declined,” he said.

“The meeting has its own importance and we too have been elected from our constituencies to take up people’s problems but perhaps the BJP wanted to avoid the issues we were to raise like lifting of the dark zone in north Gujarat,” Thakore said.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Surendra Patel said the real reason for Congress MPs not coming to attend the meeting was that they “are not capable of performing the task in the Parliament and the government they were to be assigned from here.”

About Advani’s absence,Patel said it was enough that Jaitley came to attend it. “How can Advaniji attend a meeting where the Chief Minister is to give instructions to those present?” he quipped.