Nehru vs Patel over Narmada dam rocks Gujarat assembly

The Gujarat legislative assembly was adjourned for 15 minutes on Thursday following chaos in the House as the opposition Congress strongly objected to Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel's remark on India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Irked over Patel's remarks that Nehru cannot be given credit for the Sardar Sarovar Dam built on the Narmada river, Congress MLAs started shouting slogans against Patel and gathering near the well of the House during Question Hour.

Some time after the question hour began, the House witnessed a heated debate over a query raised by Congress MLA Kalabhai Dabhi about the status of the ambitious Kalpsar project.

The Kalpasar Project or the Gulf of Khambhat Development Project envisages building a 30-km dam across the Gulf of Khambhat in India for setting up a huge freshwater coastal reservoir for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes.

When Water Resources Minister Rushikesh Patel accused the Congress of delaying the Sardar Sarovar Dam project, Congress MLA CJ Chavda said it was the Congress government, which had built the dam up to the height of 85 meters despite facing several issues back then.

Countering him, Nitin Patel said, "The Sardar Sarovar Dam was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's dream, Jawaharlal Nehru only did the ground breaking. Hence, there is no need to give credit to Nehru for the dam."

Angered over his remarks, several Congress MLAs rushed near the well of the House and started raising slogans against Patel and BJP. They sought Patel's apology for his remarks against Nehru and did not let him speak further.

When Patel tried to speak again, MLAs Naushad Solanki and Rajesh Gohil rushed towards him and demanded an apology. Both the agitated legislators were then taken away by the sergeants and other Congress members.

When the members continued to indulge in chaos in the House despite repeated requests, Speaker Nimaben Acharya adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

Before the chaos began, Rushikesh Patel informed the assembly that the project's detailed project report (DPR) will be submitted to the Gujarat government by the ministry of Earth sciences by the end of this year.

While the state government has so far spent Rs 216 crore on conducting various studies on the mega project, which was envisioned over 25 years ago, the estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,10,000 crore, the minister said.