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Patkar joins the chorus, wants Modi fired

Basharat Peer in New Delhi

Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar who was manhandled by the Gujarat police on Sunday, demanded that state Chief Minister Narendra Modi be dismissed by the Centre.

Speaking to rediff.com, Patkar said the removal of Modi is crucial to restore normalcy in the strife-torn state.

"Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Bharatiya Janata Party must act. They should remove Modi as an initial mark of their respect for democracy and rule of law," she said.

"The Sabarmati episode should not be looked in isolation. It is the continuation of what the Sangh Parivar have started as part of Gujarat pogrom," she added.

She said that the miscreants were looking for an excuse to disrupt the peace meeting at the Sabarmati Ashram, and her presence provided them a pretext to indulge in violence.

"While the miscreants went around with their business, the police played the role of onlookers. But the moment mediapersons started taking pictures of the miscreants the police assaulted us," Patkar said.

Patkar said that 'this hooliganism' could not have prevailed without the support of the Modi government.

"All this could not have happened without the overt or tacit connivance of the state government led by Narendra Modi," she said.

However, the NBA leader refuted Malika Sarabahai's comment that she had come 'uninvited' to the function.

"I was invited twice for that (peace meeting) and as a concerned, committed activist for secularism and peace, I have a right and responsibility to be present there," she said.

Asked the identity of her attackers, Patkar said, "I was attacked by the same vested interests, who have been responsible for the exploitation and injustice on our poor and depressed sections, and who have been fanning the communal orgy in the state."

She also refuted certain reports that said the tribals of Gujarat 'voluntarily' participated in the riots and looted Muslims.

"We work in the tribal areas and know the reality. In many instances, we found that the tribals were threatened with the dire consequences if they did not participate in the anti-Muslim riots," Patkar alleged.

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

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