Amit Shah extols Narendra Modi’s virtue during visit in poll-bound Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, while attacking the Congress over “curfew and communal riots during its regime” said that in the past 20 years the Bharatiya Janata Party “government led by Narendra Modi secured the borders of Gujarat and stopped communal riots which were so rampant.”

During his two-day visit to his home state, Shah participated in at least a dozen public events ranging from laying the foundation stone of ESIC hospital in Sanand to inaugurating a flyover in Ahmedabad in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

Besides these events, he also visited several temples which were not planned in his official schedule. BJP officials said that Shah will be participating in similar events on Tuesday.

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Inaugurating a civic body office in Jodhpur ward, one of the posh localities in western Ahmedabad, Shah said that after Narendra Modi took over the leadership of Gujarat in 2002, its borders were secured and communal riots, curfews became a matter of past.

Shah has been attacking the Congress for frequent curfews in view of communal riots during its rule in 80s and 90s. The Union minister also took a dig at Congress saying how the national party sat on the Sardar Sarovar Dam project—its stone laying ceremony was performed in 1964, the year he was born, while the work was completed after Modi took over the reins in Gujarat in 2002.

Shah credited Modi for bringing Narmada water to the fields of Gujarat. He also said that “under Modi’s leadership, India has become the world’s fifth biggest economy surpassing England which once ruled us.”

Shah also recalled the Modi government’s drive to get rid of the colonial past by renaming “Rajpath” to “Kartavya Path”. During his speech, Shah also mentioned Modi government’s abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath corridor, among others.

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Gujarat BJP chief triggers early poll speculation

Triggering fresh round of speculations of early Assembly polls in the state, Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil, on Monday, told a party workers’ gathering that this time the elections could be held 10-15 days early and since there will be Diwali and Gujarati New Year they shouldn't slack off.

The statement coincided with the arrival of Chief Election Commissioner of India, and his team, in Ahmedabad to take stock of poll preparedness. Paatil said that 2012 and 2017 Assembly polls were held by December 10–12, but this time it may be as early as in November.

Later, Paatil told reporters that he was only speculating, he had no authority of knowing when the elections will be held.