Former BJP CM: Gujarat living in fear under Modi

Keshubhai Patel, who headed the Bharatiya Janata Party's first government in Gujarat in the 1990s, has attacked Chief Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the entire state is "living in fear" under his government.

A known detractor of Modi, Patel, who had been in the political wilderness for four years, has become active and has of late attended different public gatherings in the run-up to the state assembly election due in December.

Patel was unceremoniously removed as chief minister and replaced by Modi in 2001.

"I had earlier said in a function of the Patidar (Patel) community that my community is living under fear, but today after reading newspapers I have come to the conclusion that entire Gujarat is living under fear," Patel said in Ahmedabad, addressing a gathering of the Rohit community on Saturday.

Patel, earlier in Surat and the Sidsar temple town in Rajkot district, had alleged his community members are living in fear.

In the run up to the last assembly election in 2007, Patel had alleged there was a 'mini-emergency'-like situation under the Modi government.

However, after Modi's landslide victory in the 2007 election, Patel chose to maintain a low profile. But in this election year, he has once again started making appearance at public meetings. He shared the dais on Saturday with Gordhan Zadafia, the former minister of state for home in the Modi government who later formed his own political outfit,the Maha-Gujarat Janata Party.