Vijay Rupani invites Yogi Adityanath at the unveiling event of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue
Days after attacks were reported on migrant labourers in Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said the state was for all Indians and cared for everybody's "honour, development and safety".
"It was a planned conspiracy of a Congress MLA," the chief minister said. Gujarat Congress legislator Alpesh Thakor was accused of triggering violence against migrant workers.
The labourers, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were targeted in several parts of Gujarat following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl earlier this month.
"India is one, and this Gujarat is of (Mahatma) Gandhi, Sardar (Vallabhbhai Patel) and (Prime Minister Narendra) Mod. This is a mini-India for all Indians, and everyone's honour, safety and development is ensured," Mr Rupani said.
People from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states have contributed to the development of Gujarat, he said during the second day of his visit to Lucknow.
Mr Rupani arrived in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Sunday evening and gave an invitation to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the unveiling ceremony of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity on the banks of the Narmada river on October 31.
"The way sugar easily dissolves in milk, people from across the country living in Surat, Ahmedabad, Kutch and Baroda are living in harmony and taking Gujarat forward," he said at a function at the Indira Gandhi Pratisthaan.
The Gujarat chief minister said that in the development of the state, there is hard work of people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Maharashtra. People from southern and northern states, everyone has contributed to the development of Gujarat, he said.
Describing the 'Statue of Unity' a true tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said, "We challenge those people who want to break the country, we will keep it (India) safe. This is our pledge."