Shankarsinh Vaghela, one-time mentor to Narendra Modi, seldom had it so good: soon after she met the Gujarat Chief Minister-cum-BJP’s Prime Ministerial aspirant here on Thursday, US Ambassador Nancy J Powell called on the current Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha to discuss “human rights situation in Gujarat.”
This assumes importance in the wake of denial of a US visa to Modi since 2005 on alleged human and religious rights violation during the 2002 communal riots, given that Vaghela has been a known Modi-basher for almost two decades.
In a statement after Powell meeting him, Vaghela informed that the US Ambassador to India inquired about the prevailing “human rights situation in the state”.
“During the meeting with us, the US Ambassador inquired about the current state of human rights in Gujarat. Moreover, she was curious to know about the possible picture of the Indian politics in future,” Vaghela told reporters.
The former CM informed the US diplomat that the model “showcased in front of the world is far from reality”. During the meeting, which lasted about 50 minutes, he briefed Powell about Gujarat’s “poor performance in the fields of human index, education, health and social services as compared to other states in the country.”
Vaghela also regretted that the State was passing through an “autocratic rule since 2002 as no one has a right to put his ideas.” “The picture of Gujarat that is being shown to the world is illusive,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by other state Congress leaders including Gujarat party chief Arjun Modhwadia, and former GPCC president Siddharth Patel.
Vaghela informed that the event was a “courtesy meeting aimed at strengthening the bilateral diplomatic relations.”