Polls will decide Guj fate for 25 yrs: Modi

The upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat are all about deciding the fate of the state for the next 25 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he targeted the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over a range of issues in the pollbound state.

Modi also said that though several developmental works have been carried out so far by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state and at the Centre, the time has come to take a “giant leap”.

The Prime Minister addressed four rallies in Palanpur, Dahegam, Modasa and Bavla during the day, to endorse BJP candidates in the elections scheduled to be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, where the party is looking for a seventh straight victory. The results will be announced on December 8.

Speaking at a public meeting in Palanpur, Modi said: “India has completed 75 years of Independence and our nation is entering the Amrit Kaal, which will be the next 25 years. This (2022) is the first election of this Amrit Kaal, which will decide the state’s fate not just for the next five years, but what Gujarat will be like after 25 years.”

“Time has come to take a giant leap now. And, I need your

support to form a strong government in Gujarat. You don’t have to tell me your issues because I grew up here and I very well understand those issues…,” he added.

In Modasa town of Aravalli district in north Gujarat, Modi said it was time to generate income from electricity instead of getting it for free, in an apparent move to counter the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress over their poll promise of free electricity in the state.

“Considering that Gujarat produces 10 times as much solar power and five times as much wind power as the rest of the

country combined, only Modi has the power to encourage people to make money by selling electricity,” he said.

In Bavla, Modi said: “...Congress leaders never cared to follow Gandhian values,” he said.

Hitting back, Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma said: “Even after several years of the BJP’S regime in Gujarat, PM Modi is taking the support of the Congress to impress his audience in his election speeches. First his slogan was ‘I made Gujarat’, now it has changed into ‘you will develop Gujarat’. This shows his outburst. The people here are looking for a change.”