Modi flays Congress, flaunts BJP work in Gujarat campaign
Addressing a public rally in the Amreli district of pollbound Gujarat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he feels like home whenever he visits the district.
"Whenever I come to Amreli, I feel like home. The sheer turnout of people here shows which way the election is going this time. The levers of election are not with politicians or candidates, but in the hands of the people who have turned out in such huge numbers today," the PM said.
Hitting out at the Congress, PM Modi said it was incapable of working for people's welfare.
"Congress cannot do any good for you all. In the last Assembly elections, you had voted for the Congress and had sent their candidate to the Vidhan Sabha. Tell me what have they done? Can you remember anything?" the PM asked, addressing the crowd.
Voicing hope that the BJP will return to power in the state, the PM said, "This time, Kamal Khilvu Joiye (the lotus should bloom)."
He added that the Amreli district will emerge as a bustling centre for maritime trade, adding a new chapter to its history.
"The mushrooming of industries here in the last 20 years and the innovative agricultural practices introduced by the Krishi Bibhag (agriculture department) helped Amreli make a telling impact on the state. The agricultural development in Gujarat was in the negative before we came to power in the state. It is the result of our hard work that today, the Gujarat's agricultural development has reached double digits," the PM said.
In an apparent swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Modi said that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress leader walked with a woman who tried everything to derail the Narmada Project.
On Saturday, during the Maharashtra leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi was joined by activist Medha Patkar who spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Aandolan to prevent the displacement of locals
due to the water of the Dam. In his address at a rally in Gujarat's Dhoraji on Sunday, the Prime Minister said without naming Rahul Gandhi, “You would have seen a picture published in the newspaper yesterday of a Congress leader standing with those who oppose the Narmada Project. You should ask them with what face are they coming to seek votes from you. They did everything to stall the Narmada project for decades together and ensured that no money including that from World Bank was able to come over to Gujarat. They were constantly maligning the reputation of Gujarat.”
He said that the matter was taken to courts and the lady who spearheaded this movement was seen along with the Congress leader. “This shows that you are only walking towards destroying Gujarat,” said PM Modi at the rally.
“Those people who try to destroy the only water lifeline of the Kutch region are seen with Congress leaders. This shows that they are only working towards destroying
Gujarat. Voters and Gujarat need to ask Congress leadership, why are they aligning with such forces.”
Several leaders of the BJP termed this move of Congress as anti-gujarat. BJP national president JP Nadda, Union Ministers Anurag Singh Thakur and Purushottam Rupala have earlier hit out at the Congress over the same issue.
The foundation stone of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada river was laid by India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. After years of legal hurdles, the 1,210 metres long dam was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2017.
Gujarat, which has 182 assembly constituencies will go for polling in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will occur on December 8, which coincides with Himachal Pradesh's result date. The ruling party which has been in power for over 27 years in Gujarat will be seeking its seventh term in office. — agencies