Nirma cement plant brings Rahul Gandhi in face-off with Narendra Modi

The term ‘clash of titans’ may be oft-heard, but seldom do we get to see it around us in real time.

When Rahul Gandhi pledged support to the Mahuva farmers’ battle against Nirma cement plant on the grounds that it will cause enormous damage to the ecology, he came into a direct face-off over the issue with his political nemesis — chief minister Narendra Modi.

Rahul had visited Gujarat during 2007 Assembly elections and 2009 Lok Sabha elections but those were low-key.

For, the task of direct conflict with Modi has largely been left for his mother, Sonia Gandhi. But now, as the Modi administration claims the Nirma plant near Padhiyarka village does not cause any harm to the environment, Rahul’s support to the opposition has put him in the rink against BJP’s poster boy.

On Sunday, when BJP’s Mahuva MLA Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya shared the dais with Congress MLA from Porbandar Arjun Modhwadia, Rajkot MP Kuwarji Bavaliya, Surendranagar MP Somabhai Ganda, and Indian Youth Congress president (Gujarat) Indravijaysinh Gohil, the political battlefront was thrown wide open before a crowd of thousands of supporters.

Sources present at the rally observed that though Rahul did not make an appearance, his support to their cause was distinctly felt in the crowd.

Observers watching the developments with interest are mulling over the pertinent questions — will backing the movement at this stage reap political benefits for the Congress?

Will Congress be able to rise above its internal differences to be able to reap the benefits, if any? More importantly, will it alter the future course of Nirma cement plant?   

Sources in the Congress say electoral popularity of the party is weak in coastal areas of Saurashtra. “We should have joined this campaign long back.

Local functionaries have made representations earlier that this is a big genuine issue of people that the Congress should support.

Until Rahul’s intervention last month, these appeals were ignored,” the source said.

Modhwadia, meanwhile, asserted that the Congress will support this issue “without any barriers”. He insisted that the problem of farmers here is much more than that of Singur, but still, with unswerving leadership, they fought and won their battle.

“People’s support to this issue is landmark in the socio-political history of Gujarat… This has never happened before and it will be very difficult for Modi to ignore this,” he said. Kalsariya has repeatedly publicly voiced his anguish over Modi’s indifference to the farmers’ woes.

“The CM says such sacrifices have to be made for development,” the BJP MLA has said.

Significantly, Modi himself is yet to make any statement on the issue.

And the party is also yet to take any action against the MLA. Meanwhile, the Youth Congress is all set to make Mahuva and other similar cases like the protests in Veraval, Talaja, Mundra, Mithi Virdi and Dholera poll issues during the forthcoming local body elections.