Patel visits missing children's parents, pulls up Modi over bad governance

Ahmedabad, July 5 (ANI): Dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Keshubhai Patel on Thursday took potshots at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for bad governance and dictatorial politics.

Patel, considered to be Modi's political rival, denounced the law and order situation of the state, saying it had failed miserably to protect the people.

"The law and order situation is very bad in the state. The situation is really pathetic. To hide the real situation he (Narendra Modi) wants to suppress the voice of people. He does not want his bad governance talks to come out in open," he said.

Patel said parents of the missing children were arrested when they were on the way to meet Modi to share their pain and grief.

"Few people carrying the photographs of their missing children were going to meet the chief minister, but they were arrested in the middle of the way. Were they militants? Were they going to create violence?" asked Patel.

"They were not violent people or militants. They were going to meet the chief minister to share their grief and plead him to find their children," he added.

Patel, who met the parents of the missing children today, also accused Modi of hiring police officers that blindly followed his instructions.

"The Director General of Police (DGP) has been hired on a temporary basis. Why? Can't they find a permanent officer? This is not the reality. Several officers after their promotion come to the state, but only those officers are hired on top posts that blindly follow the orders of the chief minister," said Patel.

"He hires those officers, who butter him and follow his instructions. The officers blindly follow the orders of the state government, but they have failed to give justice to the people," he added.

Patel, 84, today visited Sureshbhai Patel, whose daughter Vishwa is missing. He also visited Narendrabhai Panchal, whose son Ronak, is missing.

Parents of the missing children wanted to meet Modi and had also taken out a rally in this regard last week.

However, they were prevented from marching towards Gandhinagar and detained by city police, who showed scant regard for the parents' sentiments while detaining them. (ANI)