Allegations that a 14-month-old has been raped by a migrant in north Gujarat triggered the violence, following which hundreds of migrants from UP and Bihar had started fleeing the state. (Express photo by Javed Raja)
Continuing the political slugfest in Gujarat over the attacks on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who was in Mumbai, on Saturday accused the Congress of being behind the attacks. He said the ruling BJP government in Gujarat had thwarted their plan.
Allegations that a 14-month-old has been raped by a migrant in north Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district had recently triggered the violence in Gujarat, following which hundreds of migrants from UP and Bihar had started fleeing the state.
While claiming that 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 story of Gujarat.
The minister also alleged that “a Congress MLA was behind the attacks that were aimed at tarnishing the state’s image”. Last week, Patel had accused Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore’s outfit-Kshatriya Thakore Sena as being behind the attacks on migrants; an allegation which the latter has refuted. While he did not name anyone in particular on Saturday, the fresh barb was also fired at Thakore, said BJP insiders.
Patel, meanwhile, said that Gujarat has continued to attract big-ticket investments, and continues to be ahead on the investment front. “Both the locals and the migrants have benefitted from job generations on account of industrial investments,” he added.