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BJP Narmada show
turns out to be a fiasco

The Bharatiya Janata Party function, organised to formally recommence work at the Sardar Sarovar Project, turned out to be a fiasco as many party workers and people were stranded and could not reach the site, on Tuesday.

Protestors turned their ire to ministers cars and over-turned three red-light cars and tried to burn them. The people were upset as no arrangements were made for them and many had to go without food and water for nearly six hours.

The reason for the fiasco, it seems, was lack of co-ordination between BJP workers and policemen, as nearly 1,000 state transport buses and many cars could not reach the site. Some had come to Baroda on Monday evening, so that they could reach Kevadia in the morning. But they too were stranded.

The limited policemen at the site could not control the nearly two lakh people who had turned up.

Inaugurating the project, Union Home Minister L K Advani said, "Resuming work on the project is the third major achievement of the National Democratic Alliance government after the Pokharan blasts and the victory in Kargil. And this is a big nationalistic development."

All Gujarat cabinet ministers attended the function.

People were upset as no arrangements were made for them to reach the site, whereas smooth passage was granted to the ministers.

A correspondent adds: The situation in Kevadia turned ugly in the evening when thousands of people stranded in serpentine traffic jams turned violent.

Several Gujarat ministers had to encounter angry mobs. The cars of Home Minister Haren Pandya, Education Minister Anandibhen Patel, Bipin Shah and Gabaji Thakor were attacked. While Pandya escaped without injury, Patel and Shah were not so lucky.

Shah was injured while Patel's car was burnt and she suffered a fracture.

Several state transport buses were also damaged in the incident.

People stranded at the site said that food and water was not available since morning. Adding to the frustration was the fact that no information was forthcoming as to when the traffic would clear.

The injured ministers were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Baroda.

Sources at the site said it was likely that the traffic jam would continue till Wednesday morning.

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