Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, saying the “family will destroy Gujarat because it dislikes Gujarat and Gujaratis”, and the coming Assembly election in the State is a fight between ''development and dynasty.”
Addressing BJP workers in Bhat village near Gandhinagar, Mr. Modi dared the Congress to fight the poll on the plank of development and asserted that the party never focused on development or governance and instead always relied on dynasty, communalism and casteism and corruption to win elections.
“I had hoped that this time they would fight the poll on development but instead they are abusing the development here,” he said, referring to the social media campaign by the Congress, mocking the development claims in the State.
“This election is a duel between development and dynastic rule and development is going to triumph,” he said.
“The family does not like Gujarat or Gujaratis and therefore the Congress governments in the past did not allow completion of the Narmada project, which was originally conceived by Sardar Patel,” Mr. Modi said, directly taking on the Nehru-Gandhi family after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s two ''Navsarjan Yatras'' during which he challenged the BJP’s pet Gujarat model of development.
“The family did not like Sardar Patel or Morarji Desai. When Morarji Desai became Prime Minister, the family spread rumours,” he said.
Referring to the arrest of Amit Shah by the CBI in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, he said, “During your rule, what you have done to Amit Shah is well known. He was put in jail because you thought that to get at Modi, you will first have to target Amit Shah.”
Lauds Amit Shah
The Prime Minister singled out the BJP president for his role in the party’s electoral victories in many States and called him “Man of the Match.”
Mr. Modi’s lavish praise for Mr. Shah assumes significance because a section of BJP leaders and the Opposition parties have demanded a probe into the business dealings of Mr. Shah’s son Jay Shah after a news website carried a story saying his company saw a turnover from ₹50,000 to ₹80 crore after the BJP came to power in 2014.
Without naming the National Herald case in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi are accused, he said “mother and son are on bail.”
They have made a party of those who are on bail, alleged the Prime Minister.
In his 45-minute speech delivered in Gujarati, Mr. Modi devoted considerable time to attacking the Gandhi family and said Gujarat was an “eyesore” for it. He said the Congress and the family always feared the BJP and even Pandit Nehru used to be afraid of it.
He also accused the Congress leadership of “spreading rumours” on the new GST regime and said “all GST-related decisions were taken unanimously by all States, including the Congress-ruled ones.”
The Prime Minister will be coming to Gujarat again on October 22 to inaugurate a ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra to Dahej in South Gujarat.
