Congress, BJP vie to take credit for release of diamond merchants

SURAT: The diamond industry is planning a low-key welcome for the 13 diamond merchants acquitted of smuggling by a Chinese court but the Congress and the BJP held separate street celebrations to claim credit for their release.
While the Congress said that this was the result of two years of efforts by the UPA government, the BJP claimed that it was Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's efforts during his recent China visit that helped expedite the trial.
As Modi tweeted thanking the Chinese authorities for considering his plea for speedy trial in the diamond smuggling case involving 22 Gujarati diamond merchants immediately, Congress leaders in the city were quick enough to release an official media communique lauding the efforts of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel for their efforts in securing the release of the 13 diamond merchants.
The real drama unfolded at Mangarh Chowk at Varachha - a diamond hub - when the Congress workers and leaders led by City Congress president Ashok Jirawala shouted slogans and burst fire crackers taking credit of their party leaders and UPA government for the release of the diamond merchants.
Ashok Jirawala, president of Surat City Congress Committee, told TOI, "It was a mere coincidence that Modi visited China last month but, the credit for the release of diamond merchants goes to the two years long efforts by the UPA government."
"If Modi feels that he was the one responsible for their release, I would humbly request him to visit Pakistan and see that hundreds of our innocent fishermen are released soon," he said.
City BJP president Purnesh Modi, Mayor Raju Desai and other senior leaders organised a massive rally at Mahidharpura diamond market to hail the efforts of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Hundreds of BJP supporters had gathered at the rally that started from Mahidharpura Jadakhadi with pro-Modi slogans.
BJP leaders said Modi's diplomatic efforts and statesmanship during his China visit had resulted in a great relief to 22 Indian diamond traders, mostly from Surat and Mumbai, arrested in China since January 2010. The efforts made so far for their release had not yielded any results. However, after Modi took up the matter with Chinese authorities, the case was expedited and judgment was delivered on Wednesday.
While the BJP and Congress are busying taking credit of the issue, diamond industry leaders believe the welcome of the 13 diamond merchants, who are likely to arrive home latest by Saturday, would be a low-key affair.
"We plan a low-key welcome for the 13 diamond traders released by China" says Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association (SDA).
"All are happy with the Chinese court's verdict, but the welcome of the traders in the city would be on a low key because nine of our men are still serving additional jail terms ranging from one to six years" said Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association (SDA).