ahmedabad: Despite being passed twice by the Gujarat Assembly, the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act or GujCoC has not been cleared by the Centre so far. Now the Union Home Ministry, in reply to a petition in the Gujarat High Court, has said the legislation can't be cleared because it closely resembles the repealed POTA.
But Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not deterred. He is trying his best to put pressure on the Centre."I am requesting the Gujarati community worldwide to send emails to the Prime Minister and ask him to clear the Bill. It's a good thing to do in a democracy," he said.
Elsewhere, he urged villagers to write postcards and letters to the Prime Minister, demanding that the Central Government clear the GujCoC.
"All of you write letters to the Prime Minister. In Gujarati, Hindi, English, whatever language you know and demand that this act be passed."
The NGO, Justice on Trial, which has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking to know why GujCoC has not been cleared, says Article 14 of the Constitution is being violated.
Justice (Retd) S M Soni who is now the Chairman of Justice on Trial, says, "If such acts are in force in Andhra, Karnataka and eight states of the country, then it's an apparent breach of Article 14 of the Constitution. Equality is not just for persons. It is for states as well."
Narendra Modi has mastered the act of whipping up public sentiment and it appears he is gearing up to confront the Centre yet again, this time over GujCoC.
