Cong leaders break three-day fast, lash out at Modi
Senior Congress leaders Shankersinh Vaghela and Arjun Modhavadia today ended their three-day fast, saying it had exposed the ''hypocrisy'' and the ''dark side'' of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Sadbhavana mission.
Vaghela and Modhavadia, who were holding a fast as a counter to the one observed by Modi, broke it by accepting a glass of juice offered by two Dalit girls in the presence of hundreds of Congress workers and supporters.
The two were fasting on a footpath in front of the Sabarmati Ashram.
The Congress leaders criticised Modi on various issues including his 'Sadbhavna Mission' fast.
"The BJP government in the state had announced that Modi would go on a three day fast, but he ended his mission within 55 hours! Why this haste? Modi has always backed out as far as his promises are concerned," Vaghela said before breaking his fast.
He said he wants to seek forgiveness from Mahatma Gandhi for using his sacred weapon of fast against Modi, "who was making a mockery of the tool, which was used to gain independence from the British."
"A fast is a sacred weapon. One stays hungry and it appeals to others. Gandhiji used this weapon. Anna Hazare also embarked on fast against our own government at the Centre. But we do not have any ill-feeling towards him. We are not happy if someone else is unhappy, that is our culture," Vaghela said.
"It is surprising that a government has to undertake fast. What was the need for it? We decided to undertake parallel fast to expose hypocrisy and the dark side of Modi's Sadbhavana Mission," he said.
Clarifying that the fast undertaken by him was not organised by Congress party, Vaghela said, "People ask us why not a single national Congress leader came during the last three days? My answer is that this was not our party's program. We did not seek the party high command's permission for it."
"Our fast was not a drama like Modi's where a galaxy of senior BJP leaders made a beeline at the venue," he added.
Calling Modi's fast as "festival of fast inside an air conditioned hall", the senior Congress leader claimed that the chief minister spent more than Rs 100 crore from public exchequer on the Sadbhavna Mission fast.
"Was it an exercise in marketing? Members of minority community were brought to take part in Modi's Sadbhavana Mission but they were not treated well," he said.
Vaghela vowed to expose Modi government's 'Durbhavana' (ill-will) and take forward 'Sadbhavana' (goodwill). He asked the state government to pay attention to millions of poor in the state.
Gujarat Congress President Modhavadia also launched an attack on Modi saying, "There would be no other chief minister in the country, who would have sinned as much as the Gujarat chief minister."
"Modi says he did not leave home at early age to get 'Raj Singhasan', but he has done everything to get it. He has committed sins that no chief minister has done in the history of our country. He finished off his political rivals," he said.
