NEW DELHI, 15 April — The ruling party of Orissa, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), an ally of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, has refused to compel the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to sack Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Although it wants a change of guard in Gujarat in view of Modi’s failure to contain sectarian violence in the state, the BJD Sunday said removing Modi was an “internal matter” for the BJP.
“Modi is morally responsible for the Gujarat violence and he should resign,” BJD General Secretary Damodar Rout said, referring to the largely anti-Muslim strife in that state in which over 900 people have died since February end.
“But we are a regional party and we do not want to put pressure on the BJP for his resignation. It is for Modi, the people of Gujarat and the BJP to decide.”
The BJD’s stand indicates his party’s reluctance to force the issue on the BJP, which has already taken a rigid stance rejecting calls by three allies, including the biggest Telugu Desam Party (TDP), to replace Modi in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, one person was killed and nine injured as fresh riots broke out in the sensitive Dariapur area of Ahmedabad city yesterday and indefinite curfew was clamped in the afternoon. Night curfew continues in Dariapur and other areas of the city. Paramilitary forces had to intervene as violence erupted yesterday in some areas of Ahmedabad, amid talks of snap assembly polls. Incidents of firing and stone pelting by mobs were reported from the Madhupura, Dariapur, Kalupur, Dani Limda and Shahibaug areas.
Residents of Dariapur said the area was peaceful in the morning but violence erupted after a small group tried to set some shops ablaze.
Attempts were made to torch shops in Shahibaug as well in the afternoon. However, police and paramilitary forces dispersed the mob. Other parts of the state remained largely incident free, police said.
