Seeking to corner the Congress over the issue of development, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it did everything when it was in power at the Centre to ensure that the Sardar Sarovar project was not completed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently inaugurated the project, which aims to bring irrigation and drinking waters to parts of the state, and the BJP believes that it will be a vote-catching issue in the assembly polls.
Political watchers believe that Gandhi's temple visits is an attempt by the Congress to counter the BJP's Hindutva plank in the state.
Prasad then launched an attack at him, saying, "Rahul Gandhi ji, paying obeisance to gods does not get you votes. Your work gets. It is necessary to know what your government had done to Gujarat. The Congress conspired to cause as much difficulty as it could to stop Sardar Sarovar project from completion."
He wondered as to how Chidambaram, who had replaced Shivraj Patil as home minister following the Mumbai terror attack, could be so "oblivious" to national security.
Prasad also condemned the Congress over its criticism of the Election Commission's decision to not announce Gujarat poll dates with that of Himachal Pradesh, saying it was uncalled for.
"Congress should fight us in Gujarat. Such attacks and allegations against constitutional bodies are uncalled for," he said.
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