Congress running parallel government through governer's office: Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was on the stage again—this time to step up his battle against Gvernor Kamla Beniwal.

Less than a week after stealing the spotlight through his fast, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was on the stage again—this time to step up his battle against Gvernor Kamla Beniwal. He accused the Congress of running a parallel government in the state through the Raj Bhavan and conspiring to dislodge his regime since 2004. Addressing a rally at Vastral on the outskirts of the city, Modi said: “We have maintained silence since 2009 against the injustice by governor's office, in order to main tain its dignity and grace.” The chief minister, who made his speech in Hindi, but broke into Gujarati now and then, said the Congress has used the Raj Bhavan over the past three years in an attempt to run a parallel government.

“In 2004, just 24 hours after the UPA government came to power Congress had said that Modi should pack up as Centre will in voke President's rule here. Since then they are conspiring to remove my government,” he said. The BJP-governor face-off intensified following the appointment of Justice RA Mehta as Lokayukta , bypassing the state government . The BJP’s central leadership took up the matter in Parliament and even petitioned President Pratibha Patil seeking the governor’s recall.

The BJP has said that Beniwal has returned five bills in the last three years passed by the state Assembly. “The Congress has not been able to impress people of Gujarat for the last 20 years and they have remained out of power. So, now they are trying to run a parallel government by using the Governor House,” Modi said. Earlier in the day, the state BJP issued an open “chargesheet” against the governor and adopted a resolution seeking her recall. It said she was “holding the highest constitutional post yet she has been acting in a whimsical way which goes against the federal character of the Constitution” .