Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Sonia Gandhi-led NAC of drafting a “perverse” and “ill-conceived” bill to tackle communal violence which, he claimed, portrays that the majority community is “always the perpetrator”.
Moving a resolution at the BJP National Executive Meet here, Modi also accused the UPA government of posing a grave threat to the federal structure of the country by making “hostile, insidious and politically colourable” attacks on opposition-ruled states.
The resolution states that Congress-led UPA was “diminishing financial support” to the BJP and NDA ruled states, misusing governors as political agents to harass the regimes, and forming bodies like National Investigation Agency (NIA) which are acting against the “federal spirit”.
The BJP alleged that the national advisory council, headed by Gandhi, is contributing to “usurping of powers of states by the Centre.”
“NAC has drafted a perverse legislation — the Prevention Of Communal And Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill. It is ill — conceived and it proceeds with an assumption that the majority community is always the perpetrator of communal violence. Reverse discrimination in its worst form,” the resolution stated.
It also accused the Centre of “misusing” the NIA.
“By setting up the National Investigation Agency the Central government now obviously wants to take upon itself the responsibility of fighting terror by sidetracking the states,” Modi said.
Modi has had a running feud with the Centre on the Sohrabuddin encounter and other cases. He alleged that NIA has taken away the law-making powers of the states.
BJP also resolved to demand “full and immediate”implementation of the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations, setting up a forum to fight against attacks and discrimination by the Centre, obtaining greater empowerment of the Inter- State Council, to free appointments of CBI chief, CAG and CVC, create public awareness and to call for a nation-wide debate on the issue.
“The Congress-led UPA government has breached this dharma more than any other government in free India. It has breached it through insidious and colorable attacks on the states and their domain. These are pincer attacks as they are made by misusing investigative agencies,” Modi said.
The resolution alleged that the Central government is using the constitutional provisions to make legislation in respect of items in the concurrent list, but is refusing to do its duty to provide necessary financial support.
“From drinking water to supply of oilseeds there was a trend to increase the control of the centre over plan funds to be spent in the states. On Saturday, they are the rural health mission and the MNERGA,” the resolution states.
By choosing Modi, who is the most prominent face among BJP chief ministers, the party also sent across a message to the Centre.
The role of governors also came in for criticism in the resolution which states that Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj — though he was not named — had twice recommended imposition of President's Rule in the state without proper grounds for doing so.