In Gujarat, BJP Fields Riot Convict's Daughter for Elections

 

By Raja Chowdhury

Gandhinagar: Payal Kukrani an anesthesiologist by profession with no political experience, has taken over as the party's candidate from Balram Thawani, the current BJP MLA from Naroda.

 

The ruling BJP in Gujarat has sparked outrage by nominating Naroda Patiya massacre case convict Payal Kukrani from the Naroda seat in the upcoming Assembly elections. Manoj Kukrani, a life-term offender who has been free on bail since 2015, is now assisting his daughter with her election campaign.

 

Previously, the BJP found itself in the crosshairs after fielding Chandrasinh Raulji from the Godhra constituency. Raulji referred to the Bilkis Bano inmates as ‘Sanskari Brahmins’ and was a member of a Gujarat government commission that provided remission to the convicts serving life sentences.

 

Payal, an anesthesiologist by profession with no political experience, has taken over as the party’s candidate from Balram Thawani, the current BJP MLA from Naroda. Opposition parties claim that this is more proof that she was chosen only to reward riot offenders by the BJP.

 

Many are aghast that the BJP has fielded Payal from the same constituency where the Naroda Patiya atrocity occurred. Her father was one of 32 individuals convicted in 2012 of being a member of a mob that killed 97 people in Naroda during the Gujarat riots in 2002.

 

Manoj has spent most of his time in jail on interim bail since his conviction, the report cited his neighbours. When asked about her father’s involvement in her campaign, Payal stated that his father’s conviction had been contested in court.

 

“My father has been an experienced politician. I don’t want to comment on my father’s conviction because we have appealed against it in the Supreme Court. We’re still fighting it, but all I can tell you is that my father, mother and all BJP leaders are helping me in my election campaign and we will win on the issue of development,” Payal said.

 

Other family members also said Manoj didn’t do anything wrong. Manoj’s brother, Dr Puroshottam Harvani, said: “Manoj got convicted for no fault of his. He was just there. He didn’t do anything wrong. His name was dragged into it, that’s why he’s suffering,”