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Modi leads rally to Narmada dam site
Ahmedabad, Mar 20: In what is seen as a political move, Chief Minister Narendra Modi launched a rally on Saturday to mark the resumption of work on the Narmada dam that promises to be a lifeline for Gujarat.
Ahmedabad, Mar 20: In what is seen as a political move, Chief Minister Narendra Modi launched a rally on Saturday to mark the resumption of work on the Narmada dam that promises to be a lifeline for Gujarat.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised the rally following permission from the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) to raise the height of the ambitious yet controversial dam.
The rally will reach the dam site at Kevadia Colony, 200 km south of here, by the evening.
All of Modi's Cabinet colleagues are participating in the procession that will culminate in the worship of the Narmada river at the site of the dam.
The Narmada Pujan Yatra was flagged off by state BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana and former BJP chief ministers Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta.
The Narmada project is billed as the lifeline of Gujarat as it is expected to lessen the acute water shortage in drought-prone parts of the state.
Arrangements have been made for people, especially farmers, to welcome the rally at various points along the route. The rally comes ahead of parliamentary polls that will be held in Gujarat on April 20.
Originally scheduled for Friday, the rally was postponed by a day thanks to the India-Pakistan cricket one-dayer that was expected to keep crowds away.
The rally has, however, run into a controversy, with the opposition Congress lodging a complaint with the state's chief electoral officer.
"All parties and former state governments have contributed to the progress of the Narmada project," Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhari told reporters.
"Modi should have invited Congress leaders to participate in the rally, but it is out to garner political mileage out of it."
Chaudhari referred to an Election Commission (EC) directive asking the NCA to ensure that no political party holds functions projecting the decision to raise the height of the dam as its own victory.
"We have lodged a complaint with the Election Commission. And after this rally, we will provide the election body further evidence (of violation of the model code of conduct)," he added. Bureau Report
The rally will reach the dam site at Kevadia Colony, 200 km south of here, by the evening.
All of Modi's Cabinet colleagues are participating in the procession that will culminate in the worship of the Narmada river at the site of the dam.
The Narmada Pujan Yatra was flagged off by state BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana and former BJP chief ministers Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta.
The Narmada project is billed as the lifeline of Gujarat as it is expected to lessen the acute water shortage in drought-prone parts of the state.
Arrangements have been made for people, especially farmers, to welcome the rally at various points along the route. The rally comes ahead of parliamentary polls that will be held in Gujarat on April 20.
Originally scheduled for Friday, the rally was postponed by a day thanks to the India-Pakistan cricket one-dayer that was expected to keep crowds away.
The rally has, however, run into a controversy, with the opposition Congress lodging a complaint with the state's chief electoral officer.
"All parties and former state governments have contributed to the progress of the Narmada project," Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhari told reporters.
"Modi should have invited Congress leaders to participate in the rally, but it is out to garner political mileage out of it."
Chaudhari referred to an Election Commission (EC) directive asking the NCA to ensure that no political party holds functions projecting the decision to raise the height of the dam as its own victory.
"We have lodged a complaint with the Election Commission. And after this rally, we will provide the election body further evidence (of violation of the model code of conduct)," he added. Bureau Report