MP Polls: Who is Rahul Gandhi's 'Senapati,' asks Amit Shah

With only four days left for Madhya Pradesh assembly polls scheduled for November 28, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Friday launched a full-voltage attack on the Congress, saying the country's grand old party does not have "a Senapati" to win the elections in the state.

Addressing a poll rally, Shah said: "We are contesting this election with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as our chief ministerial candidate under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Who is Rahul Gandhi's 'Senapati' (chief ministerial candidate)? Can one win the election on the basis of a king, an emperor and a tired businessman?"

Sharpening his attack on the Congress, Shah further asserted, "The Congress party ruled the state for 55 years and yet they left it with a 'Bimaru' tag. It is the BJP which has worked to bring Madhya Pradesh in the category of developed states. How will Rahul Gandhi, who does not know whether potatoes are grown under the ground or in a factory, do good for farmers?"

'Bimaru' is an acronym that came up in the mid-1980s and was used to refer to the poor economic conditions of five states, namely, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Lauding the Shivraj government for its pro-farmer policies, Shah said, "During Digvijaya Singh's rule, farmers used to get loans at an interest rate of 18 per cent while during Shivraj's regime farmers get loans without any interest."

Madhya Pradesh, with 230-member assembly seats, will go to single-phase polls on November 28. The counting of votes will be done on December 11.