BJP, Cong spar over Nehru's mention in Gujarat assembly

Gandhinagar, March 31 (IANS) The Gujarat assembly on the last day of the budget session on Thursday, saw the ruling party and the opposition almost coming to blows on the issue of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru being mentioned during the discussion on the proposed Kalpasar project.

Congress legislator from Kapadvanj constituency, Kalabhai Dhabi asked a question on the proposed Kalpasar project as to when the decision was taken to carry out the project and what is its status.

Congress legislator from Gandhinagar (North), C.J. Chavda said, "Just like the mega project of Kalpasar, the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada was also a mega project which was the dream project of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. During 25 years from 1960, when the project was conceptualized till 1985, the project saw 85 meters of foundation and 85 meters of dam construction. So when the government is justifying that being a mega project, the Kalpasar has reached only to the feasibility report studies from the pre-feasibility stage, the achievement of the Congress should also be mentioned."

On hearing this, former Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel raised a point of clarification and said, "I want to bring it to the notice of the House and to the notice of the public that the Narmada dam project was not a dream of Jawaharlal Nehru but was of Sardar Patel. Nehru only carried out the ground breaking ceremony of the project and stalled the project by denying permissions, so that Gujarat wouldn't develop. It was only until 1995, when the BJP government came to power, that the necessary permissions were obtained and the project was carried out. So all the credit goes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and not Nehru. So don't drag Jawaharlal Nehru into this."

This infuriated the Congress legislators who started sloganeering.

Chavda once again said, "The Narmada dam was a scheme of the Congress, so the credit goes to the Congress. The party gave Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ambedkar. So don't try to snatch away what was ours."

During this, several Congress MLAs, including Naushad Solanki, Imran Khedawala and Rajesh Gohil, rushed into the well to Nitin Patel's seat (which is in the front row facing the Speaker) and started shouting slogans. Seeing the situation going out of hand, formal Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani and Congress legislator Pratap Dudhat also rushed into the well and stood as a wall between the agitating legislators and Nitin Patel.

Speaker Neemaben Acharya, who saw the situation worsening, adjourned the house for 15 minutes. However, the entire issue subsided when the house once again resumed.