Gujarat Cong plans Gandhi like 'satyagrah' against Modi govt

Senior party leaders opposing new 'anti-farmer' irrigation law detained, released

The Gujarat Congress has decided to take on the Narendra Modi government over the new irrigation law that come in force from Monday, on lines of Mahatma Gandhi's agitation against the 'draconian' salt law of the British during the independence struggle.

This was announced by state Congress president Arjun Modhwadia while addressing a public meeting of farmers in state capital Gandhinagar on Monday.

After the meeting a battery of senior Congress  leaders and farmers tried to march towards the state assembly protesting against the new Gujarat Irrigation and Drainage Act 2013, but they were detained by police.

Modhwadia alongwith Leader of Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela, central ministers Dinsha Patel and Tushar Chaudhary, a couple of MLAs and other party workers were detained for violation of Gandhinagar Collector's notification which prohibited rally near the state assembly. Police said that Congress was granted permission to hold a public meeting. By marching toward the assembly Congress leaders have violated the collector's order, hence were placed under preventive detention and later released, police added.

The Congress has been vehemently opposed to the new legislation claiming that it had the same colonial ethos like that of the present Act which was introduced by the British in 1879.

The Gujarat Irrigation and Drainage Act, 2013, will make it mandatory for farmers to seek licence to construct tubewell, borewell or well, with depth exceeding that prescribed for extracting ground water. The Act also has provision for penal action against the farmers who break this rules.

During the public meeting Modhwadia said, "The present BJP government first took away the rights of farmers for electricity by not granting new power connection to farmers in dark zone for over a decade. And then they deprived the people from their right for education, employment."

"We have decided to organise a Jal Adhikar Yatra (March for right to water) from April 10, which will begin from Dwarka. Farmers will break laws listed in this new law from that date," he said.

Modhwadia said that farmers will court arrests if required across the state. "The agitation will be like Gandhiji's salt agitation against the then British government's law taxing manufacture of salt," he added.

Leader of Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela said, "To cover up its failure in providing drinking water to Saurashtra and Kutch, the state government has drafted such a draconian law. With todays public meeting, the Congress has started a people's movement against the legislation".  The senior leader further claimed that the Modi government had not faced drought like situation in the last decade, hence were baffled and confused over how to handle the situation that the state was facing now.

Union Minister Dinsha Patel alleged that the central government had provided more than Rs 650 crore for drought relief to Gujarat, but instead of using it, Modi is busy building his national image.