The elections in Gujarat is a battle between the Congress party’s casteism and dynastic rule and Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s developmental politics, Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah said at a rally in the state’s Bhavnagar on Tuesday.
Shah said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s visits to the state had increased because he thought Gujarat was a “tourist spot”.
Gandhi has been campaigning in Gujarat over the past few months, holding rallies and speaking to farmers, villagers and women and criticising the BJP government over the Goods and Services Tax, demonetisation, unemployment and development.
The elections in Gujarat will take place in two phases, on December 9 and December 14. The results will be out on December 18.
The BJP chief’s comments come at a time Gujarat’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, led by Hardik Patel, is set to support the Congress after reaching seat-sharing deal.
“This time, the Congress has tried to outsource its campaign and is just indulging in casteist politics to win the Gujarat polls,” Shah said on Tuesday. “Friends, our leader Narendra Modi has started the process of ridding India of the politics of casteism, dynasty and minority appeasement.”
The BJP chief said that from 1995 to 2017, the party had removed the “pall of darkness” from Gujarat’s villages. “During Congress’ rule, anti-social elements ruled the streets,” he said.
Reacting to Shah, Gujarat Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki said the BJP was “scared of Rahul Gandhi’s visits to Gujarat”. “The fact is, the Manmohan Singh government played a key role in the development of Gujarat,” Solanki said, according to News18. “The only thing the BJP knows how to do is defame Rahul Gandhi.”
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