Gandhinagar, Sep 15 (IANS) The Congress party in Gujarat Thursday came out with a set of posers for Chief Minister Narendra Modi, describing his proposed "five-star" fast as the shenanigan of a corrupt ruler and its own three-day stir as one directed against his misrule.


“Our three-day satyagraha beginning September 17 -- on the pavement outside the Sabarmati Ashram -- is against the pretense, lies and corruption of Modi," five top Congress leaders said.

Former union minister Shankersinh Vaghela, opposition leader Shaktisinh Gohil, state party chief Arjun Modvadia, former state congress president Siddarth Patel and former deputy chief minister Narhari Amin made the joint statement while charging Modi with corruption in 17 scams running into thousands of crores of rupees.

The crores of rupees sought to be spent over Modi’s "five-star fast", they said, was to divert the attention of the people from corruption-laced governance. "Gandhiji fasted, so did Anna Hazare, but not in an air-conditioned tent as proposed by him."

The leaders wanted to know if Modi had ever thought of fasting for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Haren Pandya, who was assassinated in 2003.

They alleged that Modi had colluded with industrialists to dupe farmers.

Vaghela said that 5,000 farmers had committed suicide in Gujarat and six lakh waited for electricity for ten years. "There are restrictions on farmers drawing sub-soil water; however, industrialists face no such restrictions," he said.

”We feel there is need to expose this hypocrisy and, therefore, we are going to observe a three-day fast at Gandhi Ashram from Sep 17," they said.