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Cong trying to run parallel govt through governor's office: Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress of trying to run a parallel government through the governor's office, even as the state Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution seeking recall of Governor Dr Kamla.

"We have maintained silence since 2009 against the injustice by governor's office, in order to maintain its dignity and grace," Modi said while addressing a rally at Vastral, on the outskirts of the city.

"In 2004, just 24 hours after the United Progressive Alliance government came to power, the Congress had said that Modi should pack up as Centrewill invoke president's rule in the state. Since then they are conspiring to remove my government," Modi alleged.

The Modi government and the governor have been at loggerheads since the latter appointed Justice R A Mehta as Lokayukta, bypassing the state government. She has returned as many as five bills in the last three years passed by the state Assembly.

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'Congress has not been able to impress people of Gujarat'

"The Congress has not been able to impress people of Gujarat for the last 20 years and they have remained out of power. So now they are trying to run a parallel government by using the Governor house," Modi said.

"You (Congress), for the last three years, have used the Raj Bhavan to make a back-door entry to run a parallel government," Modi said."My elected government is opposing the governor with the aim of upholding the Constitution and procedures," Modi added.

The state BJP, earlier on Sunday, issued an open "chargesheet" against Dr Kamla, and demanded her recall.It passed a unanimous resolution and urged the Centre to recall her because she was "holding the highest constitutional post yet she has been acting in a whimsical way which goes against the federal character of the Constitution."

'Where will people go if state has two governments?'

"Can a state have two governments? What will happen if there are two governments in one state? Where will the people go?" Modi said.

"Congress leaders are making the governor visit districts; meetings with district officers are organised...she gives direct orders to them. This is not in her ambit of powers. We tried to reason this out with the governor, butthe pressure of the Congress party (on her) is very high, and she cannot overcome it," the chief minister said.

According to him, same speech -- same sentences spoken by a particular leader of opposition in the state Assembly, were used in the letters of the governor. Raj Bhavan has been taken over by the Congress for the last three years.

"Till 2009, Pandit Naval Kishor Sharma was the governor of Gujarat and he had tried to follow the Constitution and had not allowed Congress leaders to play this game. But since 2009, (when Kamla replaced him) the Congress is ruling the roost at the Raj Bhavan and trying to run the government by back door," Modi claimed.

'Cong trying to destabilise all governments'

"I have always respected Dr Kamla and had observed restraint, but I have to say this with a heavy heart that the BJP has been forced to show the Governor the people's anger. This is a fight for democracy, justice and pride of the state," Modi said.

This public gathering was an important event "in the Indian history" because for the first time people had gathered against the Governor, he said.

"To usher development in Gujarat, it has become necessary to break the (rule of) Congress-led government in the Centre, which is trying to destabilise all the governments it does not like by using the governor's office. I call on all the Chief Ministers and would like to tell them that governors' offices were being used to conspire against their governments," the Gujarat chief minister said.

"When NDA was in power, there was no such problem," he claimed. Modi also said that Gujarat was being treated like an enemy state. He said he would not say anything on the Lokayukta issue as the matter was in the High Court.In other allegations, he said Centre did not sanction enough fertilisers for the state and cut the kerosene quota by 30 per cent despite 20 per cent rise in state's population.