Gujarat will elect original Hindutva, not a clone: FM
DIG AT RAHUL Targets Manmohan, says policy paralysis was order of the day in UPA regime
› It (UPA) was a leaderless govt. It was said that the then prime minister is in office, but not in power. Policy paralysis was the order of the day. ARUN JAITLEY, Finance minister › You extended trust to the prime minister and his promise of ‘achhe din’. The hope symbolised in those dreams now lies shattered. MANMOHAN SINGH, Former PM
SURAT: The B JP is the original proHindut va party and voters in Gujarat will not pick a“clone ”, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday, taking as hot at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who recently visited several temples as part of his campaign in the election-bound state.
Speaking to reporter sin Surat, Jaitley also targeted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was also in town addressing a meeting. “It was a leaderless government. It was said that the then prime minister is in office, but not in power. Policy paralysis was the order of the day,” Jaitley said, labelling the previous government“most corrupt ”.
Singh, during his programme, accused hissuccessor Narendra Modi of failing to understand the “pains” brought on by demo net isat ion and the roll out of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) in industrial belts such as Surat.
“Your business works on trust and relationships. Without trust in eachother, Surat will collapse. You extended this trust to the prime minister and his promise of ‘a ch he din ’( good days ). The hope symbol is ed in those dreams now lies shattered,” he said.
Sing hal so lamented th eBJP’s “low-level rhetoric”, saying it hurt the discourse in the country.
Surat, known as the hub of diamond trade in India, votes in the first of the two-round elections due on December 9 and 14. PM Modi is set to address four rallies on Sunday and Congress vice- president Rahul Gandhi is likely to be back in the state for three days from December 5.
Referring to the recent visits Gandhi made to temples in Gujarat, Jaitely said: “BJP has always been seen as a pro-Hi ndut va party and if someone wants to mimic us, I do not have any complaint. But there is a basic principle in politics, if an original is available why would anyone prefer a clone”.
Gandhi visited 21 temples in Gujarat, with the latest trip to So mn a th temple on Wednesday. The B JP asked him to come clean on his religious leanings after accusing him of writing his name in a register meant for non-Hindus in the temple.
Congress denied that Gandhi made the entry, and a day later, the party vice-president said he and his family members were Shiv Bhakts but they did not discuss their faith for political mileage. On there centUtt ar Pradesh civil election results, finance minister Jaitley said it indicated Congress was on the cusp of extinction, and it was headed for a bitter defeat in Gujarat. “While BJP has maintained its credibility, Congress is slowly becoming extinct,” he said.
Manmohan Singh’s criticism was largely centred around the Modi government’s economic policies.
“In Surat alone ,89,000 powerlooms were sold ass crap and it led to a loss of 31,000 jobs,” he said referring to the note ban and the GST that, according to him, benefited China. “Imports from there increased by over 23% in a year”.