Call it state government’s non-cooperation to opposition’s demands. After paying scant heed to Congress’ demand that suspension of leader of opposition in state assembly Shaktisinh Gohil be revoked, the party has been denied the go-ahead to organise a rally in Gandhinagar to protest the leader’s expulsion. Congress will now organise their rally at Sabarmati Ashram in city on Monday.
“As we were denied permission to organise a rally in Gandhinagar to march towards the assembly on Monday, we have asked for consent to organise the programme in Ahmedabad on the same day when Gandhiji began his Dandi Yatra,” informed Arjun Modhwadia, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).
Charging the Modi government in the state with monocracy and attacking freedom of speech by expelling leader of opposition for the entire term, Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela said that even though the speaker cannot be associated with any caste, creed, religion or even party, the BJP and particularly chief minister Narendra Modi is doing the same. This, in turn, Vaghela further said, mars the dignity of the speaker’s post.
Vaghela also said that they could have reacted like the BJP and given a call for ‘bandh’ or blocked the roads; but that is not the Congress culture. “We took into consideration the on-going Class X and XII board examinations while chalking out our next move,” he said.
Modhwadia further said that they are expecting the administration to allow them to organise a rally. “However, even if they deny us permission, then also the Congress will go ahead with the programme as per the schedule on the lines of Mahatma Gandhiji’s principle of ‘Civil Disobedience’.”
