Unlike in the Surat incident when he had tweeted that people should have respect for each other, chief minister Narendra Modi is silent about the Rajkot episode. In Surat, where he had held his one-day Sadbhavana fast on December 18, BJP workers had put up some posters with derogatory comments about Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. When the CM came to know about this, he tweeted that people should have respect for each other.
On Friday, a BJP corporator in Rajkot brandished a lethal weapon at Rajkot city unit president of the Congress over pasting of posters. The CM, who will hold Sadbhavana fast in Rajkot on December 26, has remained silent on this issue.
While the CM will hold Sadbhavana fast, the Congress will hold s Satkarma fast. Leaders from both the BJP and Congress who are preparing for these two fasts are continuing to blame each other for Friday’s incident.
On Saturday, some posters in Rajkot showed Modi in green kurta being greeted by a group of Muslim people in the backdrop of the PM's chair, and Modi in saffron kurta in the backdrop of a burning coach of Sabarmati Express and kar sevaks.
Raju Dhru, BJP spokesperson for Saurashtra and Kutch region, alleged that the Congress is trying to defame the CM's Sadbhavana fasts. “People from all sections of society are spontaneously attending the CM's Sadbhavna fasts at all places. Particularly in Saurashtra region, the CM is more popular because of his personality. The Congress finds it difficult to digest the success of CM's fasts and that is why it is trying to disturb the events.”
But he didn't comment on the Friday's poster issue. He, however, said that around 50,000 people are expected at the CM’s Sadbhavana fast and 16,000 of them will join him in the fast.
Sources in the Rajkot unit of the BJP blamed the Congress for exploiting an individual's nature for creating controversies for political gain. “Most of the Congress and BJP leaders are aware of Uday Kangad's short temper nature. So they instigated him to attack them and interestingly, and though many other Congress leaders were at the place, nobody tried to interfere or separate the two fighting leaders,” they said.
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Arjun Modhwadia criticised BJP corporator Uday Kangad's act of attacking the Rajkot city unit president Jashawantsinh Bhatti.
Congress member of parliament from Rajkot, Kunavarji Bavalia, talked about his Satkarma fast. He said, “The Friday event has been criticised by the people of Rajkot, who say that BJP is shielding anti-social elements. At least 51 people from each ward of Rajkot Municipal Corporation will be joining us for the fast and around 15,000 people from across the district will be attending the function.”
