PM Modi in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to his ‘home state’ on Monday has stirred a major controversy, as several opposing voices from the Karni Sena and the Congress Party have been detained and kept under house arrest.

Modi is visiting Gujarat with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez. The delegation jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex in Vadodara.

However, the Karni Sena has levelled serious accusations against the government, alleging that their spokesperson, Mahendrasinh Rathod, has been under police protection since Sunday afternoon, restricting his movements ahead of the PM’s visit.

Rathod has been a prominent voice against the administrative failure to save Vadodara from the flood menace during monsoons.

Two police personnel have been accompanying Rathod, even during his visit to a factory in the Gorwa area to address the workers’ wage-related issues.

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President and Rajya Sabha MP, Shaktisinh Gohil, took to X to voice this issue, stating, “Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon your arrival in Gujarat, I would like to inform you that many social activists (citizens) in Vadodara have been under house arrest since yesterday by your police.”

Reflecting on what the city endured during floods, Gohil said, “Had you visited Vadodara when the Vishwamitri river overflowed and caused devastation, you would have witnessed the true situation. I request you to remove encroachments on natural water drainage paths and issue orders for appropriate compensation.”

Advocating for the state’s farmers, Gohil urged the PM, “Today, farmers are facing immense difficulties. When farmers are being forced to commit suicide, it is essential to provide them with adequate compensation. Even in the ₹350 crore announcement made in August, farmers have been deceived. I demand that the government generously assist farmers, traders, slum dwellers, and citizens whose homes have been damaged and provide appropriate compensation for the losses. There has also been a huge loss in the name of crop insurance. Why have farmers been excluded from the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme?”

After inaugurating the aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Modi is slated to visit Amreli.

Over his visit, Gujarat Pradesh Mahila Congress faction president Jenny Thummar posted on X on Sunday, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji is arriving in Amreli tomorrow, and today one after another, our workers are being arrested. We can understand if they were merely put under house arrest, but with what authority are they being directly arrested? It needs to be explained.”

She also urged the party workers to submit their videos from the jail.