Zeenews Bureau
Vapi: BJP leader LK Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra was accorded a grand welcome upon entering Gujarat on Sunday.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him in grand style. He made sure that the patriarch of the party was showered with flower petals from a helicopter on his arrival.
Addressing a huge gathering in the city, the Chief Minister took a a jibe at the Congress saying that the government at the Centre was “deaf and dumb”.
"Wherever there is voice of corruption, it is always
against the Congress. The two have become synonymous. Rajiv
Gandhi might have won with a thumping majority, but one
Bofors scam had thrown him off power," he said.
"But, Gujarat will not tolerate corruption. The nation,
too, will not tolerate it. Gujarat has been the first to raise
voice against corruption and that was against the Chimanbhai
Patel regime of the Congress," Modi said.
"No matter what, those corrupt people in power, will have
to bend before people's demands. Because, people know
everything," the Gujarat CM added.
Modi said if there is a will, government can be run
without corruption.
"The Congress (leaders) say they are 'helpless' about
corruption, but I say it is their helplessness and not ours.
Fight against corruption will continue, be it through, Anna
Hazare, Baba Ramdev or Advaniji. The corrupt government will
have to come down," he said.
"When Congress slings mud at BJP, the lotus (BJP party
symbol) shines even brighter," Modi added.
On his part, LK Advani said that he was “overwhelmed” at the response that he got upon entering Gujarat.
Praising Modi for turning Gujarat into a model state, the senior BJP leader said that this was a perfect example of “good governance”.
Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Advani said scams during the UPA regime have brought
"shame" to the entire nation.
"When India adopted the parliamentary form of democracy,
big leaders of the world, including Winston Churchill, had
criticised us. But, in the later years, India proved to be
a successful democracy," he said.
"However, various scams during the UPA regime have
defamed the nation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia
Gandhi have brought shame to the parliamentary form of
democracy of the country," he further said.
"I used to respect the PM earlier but the way he won the
2008 trust vote by adopting corrupt practices, no one will be
able to forgive him for saving the government by buying MPs,"
he alleged.
On the issue of black money, Advani said that if the Rs
25 lakh crore, stashed away in foreign banks, is brought back
to India, every village would get Rs 4 crore for development.
Also in what could be seen as an attempt to patch up relations between Modi and Nitish Kumar, Advani said that the Bihar Chief Minister had always praised the development in Gujarat.
Advani and Modi shared a platform in almost fifty days. The two last met on September 17 when Advani went to Gujarat to extend his support to Modi for his Sadbhavna fast.
It must be noted that LK Advani was to initially start his yatra from Modi’s state but later shifted to Sitab Diara in Bihar, the birthplace of Jayprakash Narayan, amidst reports that the senior BJP leader was reportedly miffed at Modi.
Narendra Modi will accompany Advani during his stay in Gujarat. The yatra will cover Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad in the next two days, party spokesperson IK Jadeja said.
With PTI inputs
First Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 09:19