This has been alleged by the Rashtriya Janata Party spokesman Kishoresinh Solanki and the RJP general secretary Navin Patel in a joint statement issued here on Tuesday.

"The Keshubhai Patel government, under whose rule even a commodity like salt has become scarce, has simply forfeited its moral authority to govern the State," the RJP leaders alleged. They said the sole reason why the Keshubhai Patel-led BJP government has been helplessly watching the traders unabashedly looting the public is the huge amount of election funds that the BJP had raised from them (traders).

Continuing their tirade against those manning the BJP government, the RJP leaders said such leaders who had failed to provide even salt to the people, "deserve to be flogged by a hunter soaked in saltedwater."

"It will not be surprising if, like Gandhi who forced the Britishers out of the country by raising a fistful of salt, the BJP governments both at the Centre and in the State will be forced out of power by the people on the very issue of salt," the leaders remarked.