Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday questioned the moral ground on which Congress is seeking votes in Gujarat when its leader was joined in his Bharat Jodo Yatra by a woman anti-Narmada activist who stalled the ambitious dam project for three decades. Modi was referring to Narmada Bachao Andolan spearhead Medha Patkar joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra on Saturday.
The Prime Minister hit the hustings on the second day of his campaigning for the next month's Assembly polls in his home state by taking darshan of Somnath temple in Veraval. While canvassing for BJP candidates in the day, he appealed to voters to not waste their votes on Congress which doesn't have a roadmap for development and reject those who defame the state.
He also said that all other parties in the country were compelled to speak about development during polls due to BJP. He addressed four rallies in the key Saurashtra region at Veraval, Dhoraji, Amreli, and Botad.
In the 2017 Assembly polls, the Congress had bagged 28 out of the 48 seats in this region which helped the Opposition party restrict the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory count to 99 in the 182-member House. The region has a sizable Patidar and Other Backward Class (OBC) population and has the potential to tilt the power game in favour of or against the ruling BJPin the next month's elections. Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
Addressing a poll rally in Dhoraji town in Rajkot district, Modi said the ambitious project of building Sardar Sarovar Dam over the Narmada river was delayed because many people had tried hard to stall it. "The Narmada project was the only solution to quench the thirst of the arid region of Kutch and Kathiyawad (Saurashtra region). You must have seen yesterday how a Congress leader was doing padyatra with a woman, who was an anti-Narmada activist. She and others had stalled the project for three decades by creating legal hurdles" he said.
"When Congress leaders approach you to seek votes, I want you to ask them to explain on what moral ground the opposition party is seeking votes when their leader was doing padyatra with a woman who was against the Narmada project. I urge you to ask this question to Congress,” he said.
Modi began his tour by offering prayers at the famous Somnath Temple near Veraval. Addressing a rally at Veraval town, the prime minister appealed to the people of Gir Somnath district to make the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victorious in all the polling booths.
He also urged the people to turn up in large numbers on the polling day and break all the previous records of voter turnout in the state elections, where voting for the 182-member Assembly will be held on December 1 and 5. Canvassing for four BJP candidates from Gir Somnath district, Modi said Gujarat made progress even though many people used to look down upon the state in the past for various reasons, such as frequent droughts.
In the 2017 Assembly polls, the Congress won all four Assembly segments in Gir Somnath district. Addressing another rally in Amreli, the prime minister appealed to the people to not waste their votes on Congress as it doesn't have the roadmap for development and instead choose BJP in the next month's elections. In the previous Assembly elections, Congress had won all five Assembly segments in Amreli district whereas the BJP drew a blank.
"The BJP government did several works to strengthen Gujarat. Now, it is time to take a giant leap. Congress does not have the capacity to do that. The Opposition party can never do anything good for you," the prime minister said. "You cannot expect a Congress leader to take you on the path of development, ask any Congress leader what is the roadmap for development and they do not have any plan," he said.
Speaking in Botad, the prime minister said the BJP has compelled all other parties in the country to talk about development as the main issue during elections. "Earlier, allegations about scams used to be the main issue during elections. But, after BJP's rise in Gujarat, the main issue has become development instead of scams. We compelled all other political parties in the country to talk about development during polls," he said. As BJP and Congress are vying to reach out to tribals, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of weakening laws framed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to empower tribals, and said his party will strengthen them further after coming to power again.
Addressing the Adivasi Mahila Workers' Sammelan at Jalgaon-Jamod in Maharashtra's Buldhana district, Gandhi said tribals are the "first owners" of the country and have equal rights like other citizens. Gandhi is scheduled to address two public rallies in Rajkot as well as Mahuva in Surat on November 21.