PM in Gandhinagar: Cong lied to India, insulted Gujaratis, stalled projects

Congress' online campaign 'Vikas' gone crazy; Modi dared Congress to fight Gujarat polls on development plank

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday excoriated the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, accusing it of disliking Gujarat and Gujaratis who were an "eyesore" for them and lowering the standard of politics.

Addressing the BJP workers at Gaurav Mahasammelan in Gandhinagar in poll-bound Gujarat, the Prime Minister said that the Congress party never focused on service and involved in dynastic politics.

Modi said "negative" politics was responsible for the current condition of the Congress, which once ruled all over the country and gave so many prime ministers from one family.

"The Congress's only agenda is to save one family," he said.

He also accused the Gandhi family of insulting non-Gandhis and said: "Non-Gandhis have always been insulted in the Congress. They don't like Gujarat and Gujaratis. When Morarji Desai became prime minister, they spread rumours about what he drank and what he didn't. They didn't talk about his ideals, about his dedication to Mahatma Gandhi's cause."

'Congress lied to India'

Invoking tall leaders from the poll-bound state like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai, the prime minister accused the "Congress and the family" of slighting them.

"The Congress has lied to India. It has never focused on service. The Congress has lowered standard of politics. The Congress does not have the guts to fight on the plank of development. They have always fought on communal issues. When nothing worked for Congress, they started abusing development," he added.

He further said that he wishes the Congress to fight for once on the issue of development.

"I had hoped that this time they would take the BJP's challenge of fighting on the issue of development. But they have not done so," he added.

'Can see Saffron wave everywhere across the country'

The Prime Minister said that there was a "saffron wave" everywhere while adding that the development politics of the BJP will beat Congress' dynastic politics.

The Prime Minister went on to say, "BJP is a party of workers not dynastic politics and politics of development will take over politics of dynasty soon. I can see saffron wave everywhere across the country. BJP is an organisation committed to serve nation."

Lauding the BJP workers, the Prime Minister said, "I know each BJP worker's strength. BJP workers have been fearless. BJP workers are behind BJP's victories. I know how much the workers have suffered."

Modi dares Congress to fight Gujarat Assembly polls on development plank

Accusing the main opposition party of pursuing "negative politics", Modi dared the Congress to fight the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls on the development plank.

"Gujarat polls are around the corner and the Congress has developed fever once again. Gujarat has been an eyesore for the party and the family. I won't repeat what they did to Sardar Patel, his daughter Maniben, and Morarji Desai.

"I had expected them to fight this election on the issue of development, but they are not doing that. Now they have decided to belittle Gujarat's development," he said referring to the Congress' online campaign 'Vikas (development) has gone crazy', which targets the Gujarat model of development.

Rahul Gandhi has, during his frequent trips to the state, criticised the Gujarat model of development.

"This election is a fight between 'vikasvaad' and "vanshvaad"; development politics will triumph over family rule."

Congress, he alleged, always avoided contesting elections with the focus on development.

"Every time there is an election, it would raise the issue of communalism, spread the poison of casteism. They never have the courage to contest a poll on the concrete issue of development," he said.

The prime minister's remark came against the backdrop of the agitation by the influential Patel community for reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. Hardik Patel, the quota stir spearhead, had welcomed Rahul Gandhi on a recent visit to Gujarat.

Congress insulted Moraji Desai: Modi

"They called us anti-Dalit, anti-Adivasi, an urban party. The people gave them an apt reply. None of the charges stuck. Today, we have the highest number of Dalit and Adivasi MPs. The highest number of MPs from rural areas are of the BJP," he said.

"They did not speak about the work of Morarji Desai or his dedication and commitment to Mahatma Gandhi's ideals. They instead chose to talk about what he ate and drank," Modi told a massive BJP rally at Bhat village near Gandhinagar, referring to the former prime minister's fondness of urine therapy.

He also targeted the Congress over the resignation of party leader Madhavsinha Solanki, who as the foreign minister was alleged to have sent a letter to his then Swiss counterpart to scuttle the Bofors scandal probe.

"They forced Solanki to resign. the party can go to any extent to save the family," he said.

Congress tried to put me in jail, says Modi

Modi also alleged a "conspiracy" was hatched by the Congress to put him in jail, in an apparent reference to accusations of his complicity in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

"You did not waste any opportunity to strike. When I was the chief minister and you were in power at the Centre, you hatched a conspiracy to put me in jail. You knew that it was not possible until Amit Shah (BJP chief) was put behind bars, you did that.

"This is the poison, the malice you harbour. Since Patel conceived the Narmada project, it was not allowed to be completed for 40-50 years," Modi said as he repeatedly attacked the Nehru-Gandhi family in his speech.

Referring to Congress leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi being on bail in the National Herald case, Modi said,"The whole party is on bail".

Congress stalls projects, BJP revives it 

Speaking in both Hindi and Gujarati, the prime minister said his government had taken forward 90 water projects worth Rs 50,000 crore that were pending since the time the Congress was in power.

Rs 12 lakh crore worth of development projects that were pending are being executed, he said.

The prime minister alleged that when he launched the 'Sujalam Sufalam' project, which would reach water that was going waste by draining into the sea, to parched areas, the Congress government in neighbouring Rajasthan objected to it.

"Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot wrote to us that you cannot use the water without our permission," he said.

Recounting the BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Prime Minister said party chief Amit Shah was behind its success.

"BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh elections surprised everyone. Amit Shah was man of the match of the Uttar Pradesh election. He was behind BJP's success in Uttar Pradesh," he added.

Addressing economic issues including demonetisation and GST, the Prime Minister said, "All hurdles on GST will be resolved. Congress is an equal partner in GST decisions so it has no reason to spread false propaganda. The nation has been freed from black money post demonetisation. 8 November, when demonetisation was introduced, will be remembered as anti-black money day."

Talking about the Narmada project, he said Congress stalled the project.

"Congress didn't want Naramada dam. Congress stalled many projects which the BJP has revived. Congress has left many Gujarat projects unfinished. Had the work of Narmada been completed 50 years back, Gujarat would have been at a higher dimension" he added.

In his address, the Prime Minister compared elections with yagya and said, "In a democracy, elections are a yagya. All soldiers of democracy must use that yagya to do more good. However, since the ages of Ramayana and Mahabharata, we have seen that when there is yagya, there are always those who try to cause problems."

The Prime Minister concluded his speech by extending Diwali greetings to those gathered in the mega rally.

Prime Minister Modi reached his home state Gujarat earlier in the day. He participated in the Gujarat Gaurav Mahasammelan held at Bhat gam near Gandhinagar.

The function marked the conclusion of 15-day long Gujarat Gaurav Yatra. The BJPstarted the yatra from two routes - one from Karamsad on the first of this month and another from Porbandar on October 2.

BJP president Amit Shah was also present at the concluding ceremony of the Yatra.

The rally was held to mark the conclusion of the saffron party's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' (march for Gujarat's honour) ahead of the high-octane electoral battle for the state where the BJP holds sway.