GUJARAT IN LAST 70 YEARS

RIOTS AND DEVELOPMENT: GUJARAT IN LAST 70 YEARS

Gujarat: as one of the most controversial and politically influenced state since independence.

1947-1960: Post independence, Gujarat was under Bombay State and was ruled by Indian National Congress. Later in 1960 reorganised as Gujarat and Maharashtra two different states of India. After the emergency, public support for the congress party eroded but it continued to hold the government

“Religion and communal violence destroys the mass”, This best suits Gujarat than any other state of India, the birthplace of Mahatama, where religion has been a vote bank tool for political figuers resulted in the worst carnage against a religious minority post independence.

1961-1971: between these phase, 16 districts in Gujarat were shocked by communal violence. Starting from Ahmedabad, the worst affected city, violence did spread to several other places including Vadodara.The incidents that took place in 1969 brings out the depth of animosity among the Muslims.

1972-1982: Other major issues preoccupied Gujarati society. The anti-reservation agitation, a reaction to the KHAM policy adopted by the rulling Congress party then, was re-channelised into a major communal conflagration.

1983-1991: During this period, 106 communal riots took place in Gujarat. Political rivalry and conflicts during elections were responsible for triggering around 40 percent of these riots.

It was from Gujarat, in September 1990 L K Advani took rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya leaving a nationwide trail of violence on its wake. In 1990 itself, there was major violence in Gujarat because of Advani’s rath yatra.

1995 : Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP) came in power in Gujarat after a long struggle and yatras and Keshubhai Patel sworn in as cheif minister of the state.

2001: Gujarat witnessed the worst disaster that struck the state on January 26, 2001. Gujarat’s historic earthquake killed over 20,000 people, injuring 1,66,000, destroying nearly 4,00,000 homes. Over 21 districts were affected and 6,00,000 people left homeless. While many believed that Gujarat would take years to get back to the normal, the massive rehabilitation and reconstruction brought a resilient Gujarat back from thr rubble.

Today’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001.

2002: GODHRA Riot that destroyed the hopes; On the morning of 27 February 2002, the Sabarmati express returning from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad stopped near Godhra railway station and the violence took place leading to burning of the train. It was a three day period of indian communal violence but its burnings are still in the soul of communities and the suffering can still be seen.

According to official figures, the riots ended with 1,044 dead, 223 missing and 2500 injured. Later the violence has long occured till 3 months in Ahmedabad and other parts of the state. Then CM Narendra Modi was accused of initialing condoning the violence.

2012: Modi was cleared of complicity in the violencey Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the court convicted thirty-one people and acquitted sixty-three based on the murder and consipiracy.

2013: Supreme court approved its satisfaction on the decision of trial court on Godhra riots but few are still suffering from the worst violence of the nation.

2014: Narendra Modi became Prime Minister and resigned as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Anandiben Patel became the CM IN 2014.

2016: Vijay Rupani succeeded Anandiben Patel as CM of Gujarat. And Gujarat has been one of the fastest developing states emonomically and financially after re-emerging from riots and disasters.

2017: The much renounced Gujarat poll elections in which all the major parties are making their day and nights equal. And BJP with all its political power is ready for a new turn in their own playground Gujarat which are to be held between 9th to 18th December all around the state.