Vaghela slams religious 'gurus' for acting as Guj govt's touts

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Ahmedabad, Jan 31 (UNI) Senior Congress leader and Union Textiles Minister Shankersinh Vaghela today lashed out at the religious leaders in Gujarat for not coming out in the open against the state government's move to relax the prohibition policy for Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

''This agitation is for a social cause and there is no politics involved. They should come out in support of the cause and stop acting as government's touts,'' a visibly irked Mr Vaghela said here while addressing a public gathering, organised by the Gujarat Mahila Congress near the Sabarmati Ashram here.

However, religious preacher Morari Bapu said as politics was not his field, he does not have anything to comment on.

In a carefully-worded message that was read out at the meeting, Morari Bapu said ''Politics is not my field. Whatever is for praja's (people's) well-being, my support is always there.'' Mr Vaghela, who is presently on a 52-hour long fast since yesterday, to protest against the government's decision, however said he would not like to politicise the issue.

''No, we are not going to make it an election issue. But we hope, that those who have good sense, would not vote for the BJP,'' he told reporters later.

Turning his ire on Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Vaghela accused him of ''playing into the hands of few industrialists,'' and said ''If Gujarat is already the number one state in the country, as claimed by the Modi government, then what was the need to relax prohibition now?'' Apart from the state Congress, several Gandhian organisations like Gujarat Lok Samiti, Gujarat Vidyapeeth, and hosts of NGOs including SEWA, AWAG and Janpath, are also taking part in the campaign.

UNI

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