Cong invokes Lord Krishna in dry Guj, hits out at BJP

Hitting out at the ruling BJP in Gujarat, the state Congress took out a farmer procession on Tuesday to submit a memorandum of demands at a Krishna temple, seeking relief to the parched lands in the state.

Hitting out at the ruling BJP in Gujarat, the state Congress took out a farmer procession on Tuesday to submit a memorandum of demands at a Krishna temple, seeking relief to the parched lands in the state.

Villagers ride a motorcycle across the dried bed of the Shitala Lake at Umrala village in Botad district, some 150 kms from Ahmedabad. Parts of Gujarat are facing an acute water shortage. (Sam Panthaky/AFP)

Looking to ‘divine intervention’, the rally included a farmer dressed as Sudama, the poor friend of Krishna who receives riches, in a bid to urge the state government to declare Devbhoomi Dwaraka as crisis affected.

“Now, Lord Krishna is our only hope when the governments at the Centre and in the state have turned a blind eye to the farmers’ problems. Farmers’ condition is like Sudama. We hope Lord will come to rescue his ‘friend’,” said Pal Ambaliya, a Congress leader from Rajkot, of the 10 wishes submitted to Lord Dwarakadheesh (Krishna) at the Jagatmandir.

Accusing the state government of apathy, the Congress is demanding the BJP to issue 100% crop insurance and set up mechanisms for irrigation among other measures to support farmers in the crisis-hit Devbhoomi Dwarka – a district on the coasts of the Arabian Sea. In spite of the entire being affected by drought, the state government declared only one taluka as crisis-hit, the Congress further alleged.

Congress workers held a rally to Jagatmandir in Dwaraka where they submitted a memorandum of 10 points to Lord Krishna, demanding measures from the state government to deal with the drought-affected regions. (HT Photo)

Before the 11 am prayer, a group of Congress leaders and workers took out the procession, and submitted a two-page memorandum at the temple afterwards. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna had settled his Golden Town Dwarka here, which is now believed to have been submerged in the Arabian Sea.

Following its resurgence in local body elections in November 2015, the Congress has been staging protests across Gujarat to keep the pressure up on the BJP which has been in power in the state for three decades.