Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who was in Mumbai, on Saturday alleged that the Congress was behind the attacks on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Allegations that a 14-month-old was raped by a migrant in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district recently triggered violence in the state, following which hundreds of migrants from UP and Bihar started fleeing the state.
Claiming that “peace has been restored”, Patel said on Saturday that “many among those who fled to their native places have returned”. He added that migrants had contributed to the growth of Gujarat.
The minister alleged that “a Congress MLA was behind the attacks that were aimed at tarnishing the state’s image”. Last week, Patel had alleged that Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore’s outfit Kshatriya Thakore Sena was behind the attacks on migrants — Thakore has denied the allegation. While Patel did not name anyone in particular on Saturday, the fresh barb was also fired at Thakore, said BJP insiders.
Patel, meanwhile, said that Gujarat continues to attract big ticket investments and continues to be ahead on the investment front. “Both local residents and migrants have benefited from job generation due to industrial investments,” he added.