Congress believes 'only' it made India achieve freedom: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday criticised the Congress saying the party believed that freedom in the country was brought by the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Addressing a public gathering here, the Prime Minister said, "The Congress feels only one family won India's freedom. They forgot the contribution of the tribal communities in India's struggle for freedom. The Congress Party is an expert in lying."

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state has constributed massively for the development of the tribal community.

"They call us a Government of the rich. It is the blessings of the poor that make us rich. Our asset is the hard work of the poor. Our Government worked for tribal welfare, ensured better education and healthcare," the Prime Minister said.

He added: "Things that weren't done for Adivasi people by the previous governments in past 50 years, our government did it for them. The Congress ruled for 50 years yet they (Adivasis) never had a ministry. It only came up after Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government came to power."

With a few days left for the Gujarat Assembly elections, a political slugfest has erupted between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking and demeaning each other for the sake of maximum votes.

"It was being said Ockhi aave chhe, did it come, No, it's Sardar Patel's Gujarat. Similarly, it's been said something is aave chhe, (referring slogan of the Congress Aave Chhe), they also won't come in Gujarat," the Prime Minister said.

The two-phase Gujarat assembly elections will take place on December 9 and 14, while the results will be out on December 18.