Gujarat celebrates golden jubilee (Second lead, changing dateline)

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AHMEDABAD - Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal Saturday formally kicked off the state’s golden jubilee celebrations in Ahmedabad with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leadership in attendance and the opposition Congress staying away.

Beniwal launched the celebrations at a glitzy function organised at the Sardar Patel Stadium here Saturday night.

The formal inauguration of the celebrations followed a function in capital Gandhinagar during the day at which the foundation stone of a Mahatma Mandir here was laid by Chief Minister Narender Modi.

The governor’s programme and Modi’s function were boycotted by the Congress.

The party organised a rally in Gandhinagar, just two km from the place where Modi laid the foundation stone of the Mahatma Mandir. A a galaxy of Congress leaders attended the rally.

Beniwal while formally launching the golden jubilee celebrations said: “I facilitate the industrious people of the state on this happy occasion and hope they win more laurels for the state and the country.”

Modi then took the audience on a soulful journey through the half-century existence of the state and hoped that the next 50 years would see it break all previous records in terms of achievements.

“Let every Gujarati contribute 100 hours and do 50 good deeds for the state in this golden jubilee year as a commitment,” he added.

Former deputy prime minister and MP from Gandhinagar L.K. Advani recounted his journey from Sindh following partition to life in Kutch and praised Modi for the development in the state.

While the state pulled out all stops to make the inaugural function and the cultural programme a success, chaos prevailed due to over-crowding at the venue.

Many senior bureaucrats and guests carrying invitation cards allegedly faced police high-handedness and had to go back without attending the function. Some reporters were also turned back.

Earlier in the morning, Modi launched the celebrations by laying the foundation stone of the Mahatma Mandir.

Modi, accompanied by Advani, laid the foundation stone of the Mahatma Mandir, to be built here at an estimated cost of Rs.100 crore.

“This edifice will reflect (Mahatma) Gandhi’s life and philosophy on the one hand and the prosperity of Gujarat on the other,” Modi said at a function to mark the commencement of the project.

“Work on the project is beginning right away and the first phase will be completed this day a year later,” Modi said.

The Mahatma Mandir, spread over 34 acres, will have a business centre, exhibition halls, a memorial and a garden on Gandhi and a suspension bridge in memory of the Dandi march. The piers of the suspension bridge will have windmills.

The memorial is designed in the form of a salt mound since the salt satyagraha (movement) was an important milestone in the country’s freedom struggle. The memorial will house a meditation hall and a museum.

The Gandhi garden will have life-sized sculptures of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing the Congress rally, state party chief Siddharth Patel said: “The founding fathers of the state enshrined the values of simplicity in celebrations and service before self in conduct while laying the foundations of the state and we intend to adhere to this.”

Leader of Opposition in the assembly Shaktisinh Gohil said that the Congress, which was all for joining in the official celebrations, was forced to disassociate itself from it when Modi sought to turn a state function into the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s affair.

“The progress and development of Gujarat has been because of the progressive, far-sighted and development-oriented approach of its people and no single individual can take credit for it all,” Gohil added.

Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, said the state’s Congress chief ministers had laid a solid foundation for its growth.

The function, which marked the culmination of its Gujarat ‘gaurav yatras’ taken out from various parts of the state, was attended by all three members of the union cabinet from the state - Dinsha Patel, Bharat Solanki and Tushar Chaudhary.

Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat also attended the function.

Former Gujarat chief ministers Madhavsinh Solanki, Shankersinh Vaghela and Dilip Parikh were also present.