PM Modi tears into Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, seeks to galvanise BJP workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah today launched a blistering attack on the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, calling them anti-development. Besides lashing out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi and Shah made a strong bid to galvanise BJP workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Modi announced that he would visit Gujarat again on October 22 post-Diwali to inaugurate his dream project, the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro Ferry Service, in South Gujarat. The service will reduce the travel time between Ghogha and Dahej from eight hours to one hour, he said.

The PM also said only passengers would be able to use the service in the first phase. However, in the second phase, they'll be able to bring their vehicles - including trucks.

The prime minister, who generally spoke in Hindi, switched to Gujarati only to address traders with regard to GST. He sought to allay their fears and said the Centre was trying to make changes in GST to ameliorate the problems they were facing.

Facing a sea of saffron caps and flags, Modi took on the Congress, saying it "hates" the idea of development, and "always runs" from the issue. India's Grand Old Party, he said is "driven by negative thinking."

BJP workers and leaders had gathered at the rally to celebrate the conclusion of the BJP's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, or the 'March for Gujarat's Honour'.

Amit Shah, on his part, made his whole speech in Gujarati. He sang paeans on Modi and invoked sentiments of Gujarati pride.

Shah exhorted voters to make the BJP victorious by a three-fourths majority. "When Modi was the Gujarat chief minister, BJP had won 129 of the 182 seats. Now that he is the prime minister, BJP should get 150 seats," he said.

NARENDRA MODI

Prime Minister Modi tried to build an emotional connect with his home state by recalling old memories of his days of struggle, when he would travel long distances by foot, on scooters, motorcycles and in cars.

Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, when the BJP needs the help of its party workers the most, Modi sought their blessings and reminded them about their struggles during the Congress' rule. "It is a fight between a party of dynasty and that of resolution."

He also invoked Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and said elections in a democracy are like a yagna. Forces inimical to such yagnas - or those who knew they would not get any fruit - would create obstructions. "Whether satyug or kalyug, such obstructionists would keep coming, but the people have always taken the yagna to its logical conclusion," he said.

Modi lashed out at the Congress and alleged that they were against Gujarat and the Gujaratis. He alleged that the Congress could stoop down to any level to harm them.

He did not even spare India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, saying he had laid the foundation of the Narmada Project "40-50 years ago but (it) was not allowed to be completed because it had been conceived by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel", a Gujarati.

He also mentioned the Sujlam Suflam yojana for harnessing of water for north Gujarat by way of temporary canals. He alleged that the Congress government, ruled by the then-chief minister Ashok Gehlot, had written a letter to Gujarat government demanding the latter not to use the water which was flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Modi launched a frontal attack on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and called the Congress "a zamanati party" (a party on bail). Without naming the two top Congress leaders, the prime minister said their families were steeped in corruption. "How can a party save Gujarat when the mother and son are on bail. I trust the people of Gujarat," he said.

He mocked Rahul for committing a faux pas. The Congress vice-president, in one of his recent speeches in Gujarat, had asked the BJP to give "jawaab ka sawaal" (question of answer). "Will such people who ask for question of the answer and do not understand it will do any good for the state?" he said.

Hitting hard at the Congress, the prime minister said the party was interested only in power, chair and dynasty. He said "family" was the only agenda of the Congress and they did not care about the country or the society.

"It (Gujarat Assembly elections) is a battle between 'vanshavaad' (dynasty politics) and 'vikasvaad' (development politics). Dynasty politics will lose," he said.

Modi sought to rob the Congress of it sheen and alleged that it did not have the courage to contest the election on the development plank. "The Congress has been running away from development works. I had always wanted that it should contest on the development issue. But it was always interested in raking up communalism, encouraging caste wars and misleading the people," he said.

He made a special appeal to the Gujarati traders on the issue of GST. Switching over to Gujarati, he accused the Congress of misleading the people on the issue.

The prime minister said all parties, including the Congress, were involved in the formulation of GST. He said the Centre's share as a participant was just 30 per cent of all the states.

Seeking to soothe the ruffled feathers of the traders, Modi said the Centre had made changes in the GST about a fortnight ago. He admitted that GST was facing some teething troubles but said the government was trying to provide relief to the traders.

He also mentioned demonetisation and said while the Congress would observe the first anniversary of its implementation on November 8 as 'Black Day', the Centre would celebrate it as "Black Money Mukti (Freedom) Day".

As a counter to Congress' popular social media campaign 'Vikas gando thayo chhe (Development has gone crazy)", Modi said 6.5 crore Gujarati will chant only one mantra - "Hoon vikas chhoon, hoon Gujarat chhoon (I am development, I am Gujarat).

AMIT SHAH

As against Modi, Shah made his entire speech in Gujarati, thus specifically aiming at the state voters. The BJP president appealed to the people to give a historic mandate to the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

"When Modi was the chief minister, you gave him 129 (out of 182) seats. Now when he is the prime minister, you should give him 150 seats," Shah said.

He attacked the Congress and said its leaders come only after five years during elections. He also pitted the Gujarat model of development with the condition in Amethi, represented by Rahul in the Lok Sabha. It has been the seat of the Nehru-Gandhis for several decades.

"At a time when there is 24-hour electricity supply in all the villages in Gujarat. 70 per cent of the state gets water supply and 108 health services is available to all, the foundation stone for the collector's office in Amethi was laid a few days ago. How can he ask the BJP to give an account of development it has carried out? He said.

Shah also mentioned the Narmada Project and hit out at former prime ministers Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, besides Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He alleged they did not allow the project to be completed.

The BJP president mentioned the bullet train project in his speech to hit out at the Congress. He said though the Opposition was making fun of the bullet train to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, he said the Gujaratis loved development.

"The Gujarat elections were a prestige issue for the people to make the BJP victorious by three-fourths majority," he said.

Shah said the BJP government had reduced loans to farmers - most of whom are Patels and Patidars who are agitating for quotas in government jobs - from 16 per cent to one per cent.

"Now the Vijay Rupani government had reduced it further to zero per cent," he said.

WATCH | Speeches by PM Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani at the Gujarat Gaurav Mahasammelan (Video courtesy: @BJP4India/Twitter)

LIVE: PM @narendramodi, Shri @AmitShah at #GujaratGaurav Mahasammelan in Bhat Gaam, Gandhinagar. https://t.co/skSqKiZYJQ- BJP (@BJP4India) October 16, 2017