People of Gujarat living in fear: Keshubhai Patel
Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
After living in political hibernation for long time, former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel seems to be staging a comeback. This is clear from his statement at a mass marriage function in Surat that people of Gujarat are living in fear. This makes it obvious that he will be quite active on Anti Modi front in the election year in Gujarat.
Though Keshubhai Patel, strong BJP leader, did not utter the name of Chief Minister Narendra Modi , he made it amply clear that his target was Modi. He said that Patidar samaj (Patels) are living in fear in Gujarat for the last ten years. Later in reply to a question, he modified his statement and said that all were living in fear in Gujarat.
When journalists wanted him to further clarify the statement, he preferred to avoid mention of the name of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi but said that all knew who had been ruling the state for the last ten years. This is characteristic of Kehubhai that he never led attack on Modi from the front even though he is well known to be against Modi.
Consequently, either his followers have been won over by his arch political rival Narendra Modi or finished politically. Even on the eve of 2007 elections, Keshubhai Patel had claimed that there was a state of emergency in Gujarat. His statement had caused political storm in Gujarat. However, later he did not pursue his anti Modi crusade.
Narendra Modi had taken over as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 a year before Assembly elections. It was a humiliating ouster for Keshubhai Patel and initial phase of Modi rule in Gujarat saw that the camp of the powerful Patel leader Keshubhai Patel was grounded in merciless political exercise.
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