Arjun to meet Governor

SURAT, March 10: Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh would call on the chief minister of Gujarat on Thursday, and would also me...

SURAT, March 10: Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh would call on the chief minister of Gujarat on Thursday, and would also meet the Governor to apprise them of the feedback he received during his visit of South Gujarat towns on Wednesday.

He told reporters after rounding off his visit that a feeling of uncertainty was still prevailing though attacks on minorities had stopped. He said the Gujarat government had not taken adequate steps to protect minorities.

He alleged that the attempt to 8220;ban kurbani 8221; on the day of Bakri Id-which coincides with the Mahavir Jayanti this year- was a deliberate attempt to create disturbances. 8220;Such directives banning animal slaughter were not in the interest of people, 8221; he said pointing out that the two occasions had fallen on the same date on several times, and never in the past such directives were issued.

Earlier, he had said the Sangh Parivar8217;s attempt to whip up passions by pulling down the Babri mosque with an eye on the majority community, had failed. The majority community had seen through the strategy and did not vote for the party espousing the cause of Hinduism. The second attempt to mobilise Hindu votes will also meet the same fate, he later said.

He described the attacks on Christians as blatant effect to communalise the atmosphere. The Bharatiya Janata Party government, including senior leaders, were bent on protecting the perpetrators and giving them a clean chit.

8220;The BJP was not attempting to impose the President8217;s Rule in Bihar but impose the RSS rule, 8221; he said justifying his party8217;s stand on bailing out the Rabri Devi government. We had asked the Bihar government to owe moral responsibility, but they did not, and to it voluntarily.

He said he along with Sushil Kumar Shinde party in-charge of Bihar affairs met Laloo Prasad Yadav and told him that 8220;the Congress party is concerned about the Dalits and the CWC resolution was passed in that context.8221; The former chief minister was told to initiate land reforms and address the core problems facing his state, he said.

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He did not spell out the Madhya Pradesh government8217;s stand on the Narmada issue and said 8220;you know every aspect of our stand better.8221; Singh was accompanied by another party leader Mohsina Kidwai.

Both appealed the Congress Young wing to take up the challenge posed by organisations like the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad by rising above the party level. The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee too should chalk out a plan to create an atmosphere of unity in the state.