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Cong alleges BJP is 'impersonating' them Monday, September 17, 2001

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee alleged on Sunday that BJP workers from the minority community were made to dress as Congress workers and distribute hand-outs campaigning for Sabarmati Assembly constituency candidate Narhari Amin in Hindu-dominated localities, with a motive to influence voters against the Congress.

Amin's supporter and former BJP legislator Yatin Oza told reporters that at least six persons were caught wearing wrongly printed Congress sashes, and caps worn by Muslims with visiting cards confirming their BJP identity, on their person, from the Naranpura and Nava Wadaj wards.

However, the Congress leaders fumbled when asked if the Congress would lodge a criminal complaint about this. Oza said they were not sure, but would examine the case from the legal angle.

GPCC vice-president Balubhai Patel said, "Yesterday we approached the chief election officer, the police commissioner and the collector about the illegal meeting held by the BJP at Stadium crossroads but there was no response - this attitude has deterred us from lodging a criminal complaint".

Patel said that these BJP workers were summoned to Gandhinagar by the vice-chairman of the Gujarat State Minorities Finance and Development Corporation, Kadarbhai Salot, and told that if they wanted their loans sanctioned from the corporation, they would have to visit certain localities of the Sabarmati constituency and campaign for the Congress.

According to Patel, "These workers were put under pressure and were asked to compulsorily wear their caps and the sashes which are different from the original Congress sashes, distribute the hand-outs and even abuse people to vote in favour of Amin, in order to tarnish the image of the party".

These workers reportedly went to the Naranpura and Ankur Road areas which are dominated by the BJP. "I got to know about this when someone from Naranpura called me up and said that four persons from the minority community had come to his place to campaign for Amin", said Oza.

The workers belonged to Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Gondal, and were even given vehicles for the campaign. Oza and Patel alleged that the "BJP had stooped to such level because they are sure that they would lose the elections".

The workers claiming to belong to the BJP are Sattarbhai Adambhai from Gondal, Iqbal Sipai from Rajkot, Nahin Kazi who is the general secretary of the BJP minorities cell, Bhavnagar, Hanif Qureshi from Rajkot, Harun Shah from Rajkot and Iqbal Bachchubhai from Gondal.

The Congress also distributed copies of the letter written by these 'impersonators' which stated that "the BJP had exploited their vulnerability and compelled them into this".

News Source : Times News Network [India's best Newspaper]

 

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