Rajnath, Smriti Irani corner Congress in separate rallies in poll-bound Gujarat

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday hit out at the Congress Party saying it governed India for 50-60 years, but the upliftment of villages never featured in their agenda.

The home minister, while addressing a rally, in Anand, Gujarat, said people outside India knew at least one Indian state - Gujarat.

"Congress governed India for 50-60 years, but it never gave a thought to the upliftment of villages. It was thought for the first time by our leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee," he said.

"Modi ji may or may not have done anything, but he definitely made it possible for Gujarat to make a name for itself," he added.

Terming India as the fastest growing economy, Rajnath said that in the coming 15 years, it would emerge as the strongest economy and as a rich nation.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Smriti Irani, while addressing an election rally in Surat, said the assembly polls in Gujarat were not only for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), "but for every Gujarati who was called a 'Gadha' by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his friend, Samajwadi Party leader, Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh".

Talking about the initiatives taken by the BJP after coming to power at the Centre, the union minister said the banks, which used to shut their doors on the face of poor, now go to their doors requesting them to open a Jan Dhan Account and this became possible only after Prime Minister Modi came to power.

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