Gujarat Assembly to be dissolved

Sandesh Prabhudesai
12 April 2002  

The Gujarat Assembly is heading for dissolution as the national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party has advised chief minister Narendra Modi to seek fresh mandate by dissolving the House.

While rejecting Modi's offer to resign at a meeting held late evening in Goa after the public rally, party president Jana Krishnamurthy said it is now up to the Gujarat chief minister when to go to Raj Bhavan with the proposal.

A three-page resolution adopted in this regard listed out several measures taken by Modi to control the Gujarat violence. "In spite of this, if the opposition is asking for his head, then the best option left is to go to the people", said Krishnamurthy.

When sought to know whether the step is being taken also in response to the resignation demand made by the ruling NDA allies, the BJP chief shot back: "this is an answer to that". He also however later added that the Congress and the opposition have pushed the BJP to take such a drastic step.

According to him, the atmosphere in Gujarat is very much conducive for elections and the BJP feels confident to win the polls. "We also invite the Congress to go to the people and face them", he said.

Reacting sharply to the call given at the Guwahati meet for nation-wide agitation led by the Congress chief ministers, Krishnamurthy objected to the chief ministers' participation in it, stating that it has never happened since independence. "I have no objection to their agitation, but not the CMs", he felt.

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