Modi govt playing partisan politics, neglecting minorities:MPs

Ahmedabad, Nov 30 (UNI) Accusing the Gujarat government of being ''biased against a minority community'', a delegation of Members of Parliament that today visited a few riot-hit areas of the state, said state Chief Minister Narendra Modi had''deliberately neglected'' the areas in which these affected people lived.

Stating that the delegation had come to Gujarat to have a first hand knowledge of the rehabilitation measures undertaken, Mr Basudev Acharya, CPI-M MP, said the living conditions in the minority-dominated areas were ''appalling''.

The MPs, who were from several parties, would raise the issue in Parliament and also submit a report on their findings, he added.

Apart from Mr Acharya, the delegation comprised of Mr Rashid Alvi, Madhusudan Mistry (both Congress), Mohd Saleem (CPI-M), Suraj Singh (Lok Janshakti Party), C K Chandrappan (CPI), Alok Mehta (RJD) and Subroto Bose (Forward Block).

''There were no roads, sanitation, no drinking water, no hospitals in the riot-hit localities. People who had been rendered homeless, have not been provided alternate housing. Many of them who had left their homes, are too scared to return,'' he said addressing a press conference.

He said whatever rehabilitation of the victims that the delegates saw was due to the efforts of NGOs and other civil society members.

''The state government's contribution is zero,'' he added.

Among the areas, that the MPs visited during their day-long visit were Juhapura, Shah-e-Alam, Navapura, Ramol and Naroda village.

Joining in, Mr Madhusudan Mistry said the ''mentality'' of the Modi government was reflected in the fact that it chose to return Rs 19.10 crore of the Central aid, instead of spending on these localities.

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