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Vaghela denies meeting Mehta

Rashtriya Janata Party president Shankarsinh Vaghela today denied having met Gujarat Industry Minister Suresh Mehta or any other Bharatiya Janata Party leader in the context of the present political scenario in the state saying he ''does not want to disturb the BJP government''.

Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, he said he has also not met any BJP MLAs as this could make them have ''heard themselves'' in their own party.

Alleging the Keshubhai Patel government has failed on all fronts, Vaghela said the BJP-Vishwa Hindu Parishad combine was ''manipulating'' things in such a way, once again, so as to drive the likes of Mehta to the wall, as they had done earlier to corner him (Vaghela).

Referring to Mehta's statement that he was not like Vaghela, the RJP chief said ''Shankarsinh Vaghela will not be born again.''

He charged the VHP with hatching a ''conspiracy'' to see that Mehta resigned from the BJP ministry while asking the authorities not to take action against those who worked against Mehta.

The BJP-VHP had tried to defeat some of their own candidates in the last election as they suspected them to be potential rebels.

The former Gujarat chief minister charged the BJP with being a ''power-lulled'' party lacking administrative capabilities.

Vaghela also said that Gujarat will observe ''unprecedented and a total bandh'' on Friday for which all non-BJP parties and organisations have joined hands.

The strike was being organised to protest the ''unprecedented'' price-rise during the BJP regime.

UNI

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