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Tharad (Banaskantha), December 11
Taking a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign style, Congress president-designate Rahul Gandhi today attempted to establish his “Gujarat connect” to develop better rapport with local voters.
Addressing a rally at Tharad, near Pakistan border in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat, Rahul recalled that his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi had visited the place as the PMs and said he had developed a “lasting bond” with the people of Gujarat because of the love and affection they bestowed on him in the past three months.
“I have established a lifelong relationship with you all. As long as I am alive, in whichever state or village I may be, if anyone from Gujarat calls for me, I will reach within five minutes,” he said.
He attacked Modi for “changing tack” during the current campaign from development to Narmada to OBC and such other issues. “When nothing worked, he returned to his old practices of casteist and communal politics,” he said. Without referring to Modi questioning the Congress for alleged Pakistani interference in the Gujarat elections, Rahul said: “The elections are in Gujarat but Modiji is talking about Japan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
On BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah hiking his company’s turnover 16,000 times in three months, Rahul said the PM was “scared of Amitji”. “The country wanted to know the magic that helped Jay’s small company make such tremendous progress when all other companies were hit by recession. But Modiji has sealed his mouth,” he said.
Rahul also hit at the PM on “perceived” promise of depositing Rs15 lakh in every citizen’s account during campaigning for the 2014 LS polls. “He talked of giving Rs15 lakh but he has not deposited even 15 paise in any account.” “But if the Congress forms government in Gujarat, things will change. The money Modiji spends for his publicity will be diverted to people’s welfare programmes,” he said.
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