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Trouble brewed for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as one of his predecessor Suresh Mehta appeared to be fanning political dissent against the present administration after discussions with some disgruntled state leaders. Mehta met Keshubhai Patel and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who have expressed dismay over the current state of affairs. Training guns at Modi, Mehta asserted that the situation in Gujarat is steadily deteriorating under the present regime, though Modi is widely considered the BJP's strongest candidate for the post of the prime minister. "We are worried about the situation of Gujarat , day in and day out. The real sense is that of the last incident, about the theft from the senior most minister. That indicates to where the situation has gone. When minister is not spared, what about the other. So, as far as the administration is concerned, the situation in Gujarat has gone to dogs," Mehta told media here. An irate Mehta went on to assert that the people of Gujarat were living in a state of constant fear under Modi's regime. "When Keshubhai Patel was the chief minister, there was amity and love in the state. Today, Gujarat is in a state of fear. The people of Gujarat are living in fear. So, we have been thinking in all angles. The discussions are underway at present. At this juncture, I cannot divulge more details," he said. "However, we have discussed a range of issues. As I just mentioned, the situation has gone from bad to worse in Gujarat . Imagine, there has been only one Home Minister in Gujarat since the last ten years, and now, even his home is being looted. The situation has gone to that extent," rued Mehta, adding that the current situation in Gujarat was similar to the Emergency imposed in India in the 1970s. Media reports suggest that Patel and Mehta, along with other rebel BJP leaders could well form a 'third front' ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls, in a bid to thwart Modi's attempt to return to power. Elections to the Gujarat state assembly will be held later this year.

Former Gujarat CM takes on Modi Govt over misgovernance