‘Modi giving development agenda a miss in campaign’

DAKOR(GUJ): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dumping the development agenda and talking only about himself during campaigning for the Gujarat polls.

Gandhi, who began his second day of campaigning for the second phase polls after offering prayers at Lord Krishna’s Ranchhod Raiji Mandir here, claimed Modi frequently changed the election planks and was now left with nothing to speak about.

The BJP started its campaign on the issue of the Narmada. After four-five days, the public said they were not getting river water, the Congress leader noted.

“The BJP took a right turn. It said the election will not be contested on Narmada ... Let’s contest it on the issue of other backward classes (OBCs).

“But then the OBCs said the BJP government did not do anything for them. After five-six days, BJP made a sharp left turn and said it would take out development yatra and talk about 22 years of development,” he added.

The Congress leader said he listened to the PM’s speech on Saturday in which “Modiji talked about Modiji for 90% of the time...First right turn, then left turn, then apply brakes”.

“The election is not about Modiji, nor is it about me. It is neither about the BJP nor the Congress. This election is about the future of

› The election is not about Modiji, nor is it about me. It is neither about the BJP nor the Congress. This election is about the future of the people of Gujarat.

RAHUL GANDHI, Congress V-P

the people of Gujarat,” he said.

Criticising Modi over his election rallies, which run parallel to his public meetings ahead of the second phase of the polls, Gandhi accused the PM of not talking his future plans for the state and keeping mum on the issue of “corruption”.

He also questioned the PM over his silence on the agitations by various communities.

Gandhi said the truth had caught up with the BJP and it could go nowhere from here.

He also asked Congress workers not to use “wrong words” against the PM and said his party would defeat him and the BJP with “love and sweet words”.

The Congress leader attacked Modi over demonetisation and GST, saying the note ban helped all “thieves” convert their “black money into white” and the “Gabbar Singh Tax” destroyed small businesses and rendered one lakh people jobless. “You must have observed Modiji does not talk about corruption in his speeches. He made you stand in the queue and imposed the Gabbar Singh Tax,” he said.