Godhra: Narendra Modi begins one-day 'sadbhavna' fast, six activists detained

Godhra: Narendra Modi came from Gandhinagar to Godhra to strike a Gandhian note today. After a day-long fast for communal harmony, the Gujarat Chief Minister said, "These days people are abusing me. I know by venting their anger they are getting relieved. This is my Sadbhavna (goodwill)."

Godhra was the 23rd stop in the state for the Gujarat CM's sadbhavna or goodwill mission. Gujarat votes for its next government this year. Mr Modi wants to consolidate his fairly comfortable position in the state. His ambitions of moving to the national political landscape have been obstructed so far by the stigma of the riots that took place on his watch. Investigations have yet to determine whether Mr Modi was complicit in those riots, as some senior police officers have testified.

Godhra has a sizeable Muslim population, and Mr Modi's party, the BJP, pulled out all stops to try and woo many of them to the CM's show. Elaborate preparations included a special pandal set up for Friday prayers right next to the venue of Mr Modi's fast at the State Reserve Police (SRP) Ground. But the Muslims of Godhra largely stayed away, a dampener for Mr Modi, who otherwise drew a good floating audience of about 30,000 people.

Mr Modi steered clear of controversy aiming directly at the Congress for what he called the party's "vote-bank politics." His political strategy, the CM said, was, "Support from all and development for all." Vote bank politics he said had destroyed the country and "Gujarat has shown the people the strength of unity and peace."

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But the arrest of six activists, including Shabhnam Hashmi, the founder trustee of NGO Anhad, when they tried to enter Godhra to hold a peaceful protest, detracted from the Chief Minister's attempt at goodwill. 

Security was tight in Godhra today. Superintendent of Police, Godhra, Sachin Badshah said, "A three-tier security system has been put into place to ensure proper screening. Also CCTVs have been installed and necessary traffic restrictions imposed."

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Mr Modi's goodwill mission began in September last year with a grand, ostentatious three-day fast for communal harmony that saw a pantheon of BJP bigwigs and allied leaders attend and speak in praise of Modi. On that massive stage in Ahmedabad, he virtually launched an election campaign and the image-altering exercise with an eye firmly on New Delhi and the 2014 General Elections. So pleased was Mr Modi at what he called the success of his fast, that he announced shorter one-day versions in every district of his state.  He has since fasted in several places. Today, it is Godhra.

And if Mr Modi's sadbhavna fast was in town, could Shankersingh Vaghela be far behind? The Congress leader, who was once Mr Modi's RSS compatriot and is now a sworn political enemy, joined party workers on a counter fast in Godhra.

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Mr Vaghela, a former Chief Minister of Gujarat, has been shadowing Mr Modi on his sadbhavna series - he sat on a three-day fast far more austere than Mr Modi's grand show in Ahmedabad in September making a point to start an hour early and end an hour later. Where he could not go, a Congressman filled in for him. He didn't skip Godhra given the political significance.

"Modi has betrayed the people of the state. His fast is a farce," Mr Vaghela declared.

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