Gujarat flood relief Vijay Rupani govt cancels first anniversary plans

However, the massive floods ravaging Banaskantha and parts of Patan districts forced the government to drop the celebration preparations, said sources. “In such a grim situation if, the government is seen in a celebratory mood, it sends negative signals among the people in general and the affected districts in particular. And there is no purpose in having a publicity drive, which brings bad publicity,” added a source.

It is to be noted that Chief Minister Rupani has been camping in Banaskantha and Patan districts along with 10 of his ministers for the last few days, in most probability, as a major outreach in the North Gujarat region. Giving priority to relief and restoration work, the CM also cancelled the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

A senior government functionary said, “Probably, the CM wants to be seen among public in the flood-affected region, especially when Congress MLAs are not around. People remember those who are with them in their hour of need.”

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Wednesday said that the government is likely to announce a compensation of around Rs 1,000 crore to the flood-affected people in the two districts. Out of the nine Assembly constituencies in Banaskantha district, six — Kankrej, Dhanera, Deesa, Palanpur, Danta and Vadgam — are represented by Congress MLAs and all of them have been camping in Bengaluru.