AHMEDABAD, July 9: Congress leaders in Gujarat will meet here in a day or two to review the party's support to the state government led by Shankarsinh Vaghela.

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Prabodh Raval told newspersons here tonight that the party had taken serious note of the way Vaghela had ignored the Congress while announcing major policy decisions recently. The one regarding changes in the Urban Land Ceiling Act proved the proverbial last straw. ``Hence, senior party leaders from the state will meet here to review the present political situation in the state, which will also include the support to the Vaghela government,'' he said.

``Members of the Congress Legislative Party earlier expressed their opinion to withdraw the support to the Vaghela government and the party is taking the opinion of the MLAs very seriously,'' Raval said. ``We will bring the issue to the notice of the party high command soon and seek guidelines on the opinion expressed by the party MLAs,'' he added.

Raval asserted that Vaghela was grossly mistaken if he believed that his government could survive solely on the support from Central Congress leadership (AICC president Sitaram Kesri) while marginalising state leadership. That the Congress is exercising restraint should not be construed as its weakness, Raval said and added that his party would not hesitate in taking ``tough decisions'' when it came to brass tacks.

He said the government had arbitrarily amended the Urban Land Ceiling Act ``which is strange and not in the interest of the urban poor''. When pointed out that Congress leaders had participated in a seminar on the issue recently in Gandhinagar, he said such seminars and discussions in them could not be equated with consulting the party leadership. Vaghela must consult senior state Congress leaders before taking/announcing any decision irrespective of shift in policy, he added.

Moreover, Raval said, the ULC amendment came even as the chief minister had earlier assured that he would not take any major decision without consulting the Congress.

About recent charges levelled against the government by the Opposition, Raval said such charges had already put governments in trouble in other states. Therefore, the ministers should not base their replies on political rhetoric but on factual position alone and order impartial probe into them.

Meanwhile, CLP leader Amarsinh Chaudhary has already conveyed the indignation of a majority of the CLP members in this regard to the party high command in New Delhi.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.