BJP chief Nadda calls Congress 'anti-Gujarat' after Medha Patkar joins 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Maha
Ahmedabad, Nov 19: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda on Saturday termed Congress "anti-Gujarat" after Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar joined Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Maharashtra, drawing a sharp reaction from the Grand Old Party which alleged the BJP is devoid of issues to set up a narrative in the poll-bound state.
Nadda, who is campaigning in Gujarat, also said Patkar is "anti-Narmada, anti-Gujarat and anti-Saurashtra" who tried to stall the construction of the Narmada dam and opposed the use of water for the people of Saurashtra. "If such people join Rahul Gandhi, it reflects his mentality," he told reporters.
Reacting to Nadda's remarks, Congress leader Raghu Sharma on Saturday said since the BJP is devoid of issues for the next month's Assembly elections, it was raising the issue of Medha Patkar, a prominent Narmada Bacha Andolan leader, joining the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
The official handle of 'Bharat Jodo' on Friday tweeted a photo of Patkar with Gandhi along with a caption, "When you do something for the society, people involved in social welfare themselves join you... Social activist Medha Patkar participated in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra".
Patkar had led a protest for the tribals displaced by the Narmada dam project in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
"Patkar is "anti-Narmada, anti-Gujarat and anti-Saurashtra who tried to stall the construction of the Narmada dam and opposed the use of water for the people of Saurashtra. If such people join Rahul Gandhi, it reflects his mentality. The Congress is also anti-Gujarat. There is no doubt about that," Nadda told reporters.
Hitting back at BJP, Sharma said how can you stop anyone from joining the Congress party's Yatra.
"If someone wants to walk together, how can you stop him or her? BJP is devoid of issues (for elections). It should talk about inflation, hatred, employment, and economy --- the issues on which the Yatra has been taken out," Sharma told reporters in Rajkot.
"What has Medha Patkar got to do with Gujarat elections? The BJP is worried as it is devoid of better issues to form a poll narrative and that is why it brings Patkar into the picture," he alleged.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday tweeted, "Congress and Rahul Gandhi have time and again shown their animosity towards Gujarat and Gujaratis. By giving Medha Patkar a central place in his Yatra, Rahul Gandhi shows that he stands with those elements who denied water to Gujaratis for decades. Gujarat will not tolerate this".
CM Patel had in August alleged that "urban Naxals" had opposed the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river to deprive the state and arid Kutch region of water and development.
While addressing a gathering in Bhuj in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel also alleged that activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar was an "urban Naxal" who had received political support as well.
'Urban Naxal' term is often used by some segments of the political spectrum to describe sympathisers of the Naxalism cause as well as certain social activists.
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Du Plessis fifty, bowlers carry RCB to four-wicket win over GT
Bengaluru, May 4: Royal Challengers Bengaluru pressed the self-destruction button halfway but a blazing fifty by captain Faf du Plessis had enough torque in it to carry them to a four-wicket over Gujarat Titans in their IPL match here on Saturday.
Du Plesiss (64, 23b, 10x4, 3x6) and Kohli (42, 27b, 2x4, 4x6), who added 92 runs in just 35 balls for the opening wicket, were in prime touch as Royal Challengers moved past a frail target of 148, braving some nervy moments, most of it their own creation.
The win also lifted RCB to seventh place on the table with eight points from 11 matches, and kept their mathematical chances of making it to the play-offs alive.
Du Plessis and Kohli dealt in boundaries as the home side racked in 92 runs in Power Play, that contained 10 fours and seven maximums.
Both Du Plessis and Kohli were severe on all GT bowlers, as the latter began the butchering with two sixes off pacer Mohit Sharma in the first over.
Du Plessis was in no mood to play the role of a sidekick as he waded into left-arm pacer Josh Little with a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 4 in the second over that produced a total of 20 runs.
The Titans introduced IPL debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar in the hope of containing Kohli at least, but the ploy was foiled spectacularly.
The RCB talisman showed his increasing comfort against spin, clobbering Suthar for two successive sixes.
Du Plessis reserved his punitive blade for Mohit, whom he carted around for four fours in the fifth over, as the South African reached fifty in just 18 balls before falling to Little.
RCB entered a phase of struggle from there as they lost last match centurion Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green between the sixth and 10th overs for just 20 runs.
Little (4/45) and spinner Noor Ahmad (2/23) were the chief perpetrators as RCB slipped from 92 for 1 to 112 for five.
Ahmad soon ousted Kohli as RCB were 117 for six but Dinesh Karthik (21 not out, 12b) was cool under pressure as RCB notched their overall fourth and third win in a row of this season.
Before RCB batsmen joined the party, their bowlers came up with an immaculate effort on a supportive pitch to bowl GT to a modest 147.
There were a couple of good partnerships – 61 between David Miller and Shahrukh Khan and 44 by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan – but the Titans lacked that one big innings or a stand that could have given them a firmer grip on the match.
In fact, they seemed distinctly incapable of accelerating even in the Power Play as their top-order batters struggled against RCB pacers, Mohammed Siraj (2/29) and Yash Dayal (2/21) who stuck to a wonderful length.
That GT managed to strike just two fours in Power Play offered ample evidence to their struggle and RCB bowlers’ accuracy.
The Gujarat side’s Power Play score of 23 for three was the lowest in the segment this season, and it was mainly due to Siraj’s domination upfront.
He consumed an out-of-form Wriddhiman Saha with a fine outswinger which the GT opener wafted to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps.
Shubman Gill followed soon as his attempted swat to the on-side off Siraj took a leading edge and ended in the hands of Vysakh Vijayakumar at deep point.
Green fetched the third wicket for RCB in the Power Play when he jettisoned in-form B Sai Sudharsan, whose feeble pull close to the body was snaffled by Kohli at mid-off.
Miller (30, 20b) and Shahrukh (37, 24b) tried their best to drag GT out of the woods with a well-paced 61-run alliance off 37 balls for the fourth wicket.
Miller, who was fortunate to get dropped on 23 off Green by Karn Sharma, played archetypal power shots.
He punished leg-spinner Karn for a couple of sixes – a pull and a loft over extra cover – but fell to the same bowler when a miscued heave was grabbed by Maxwell at deep.
But a bigger misfortune was in store for the visitors as Shahrukh, who backed up a tad too far to Rahul Tewatia’s soft drop, could not beat a throw from Kohli to the non-striker’s end.
For the sixth-wicket, Tewatia (35, 21b) and Rashid (18, 14b) added 44 off 29 balls, but the latter’s desire to be innovative against Yash Dayal saw the ball crashing onto the stumps.
Tewatia, who punished Karn for 18 runs (4, 6, 4, 4) in the 16th over, departed soon.
