Rahul, who spoke for about an hour, used the platform to formally kick-start party's campaign for forthcoming Assembly polls in the state by hitting out at BJP on various counts and expressing confidence of Congress making it to power after a gap of 22 years in the state. 'This time, Congress will form a government in Gujarat. No one can stop this. The people have seen through emptiness of Gujarat model,' Gandhi said. Picture courtesy ANI
The Prime Minister and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is scared of forthcoming Gujarat elections as people have seen through the emptiness of Gujarat model.
This was stated by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday in a dialogue with his partymen who had gathered from across the state at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. “The truth cannot be hidden. Neither youngsters, nor farmers, nor small businessmen have been benefitted,” he said.
Rahul, who spoke for about an hour, used the platform to formally kick-start party’s campaign for forthcoming Assembly polls in the state by hitting out at BJP on various counts and expressing confidence of Congress making it to power after a gap of 22 years in the state. “This time, Congress will form a government in Gujarat. No one can stop this. The people have seen through emptiness of Gujarat model,” Gandhi said.
Rahul was accompanied by party in-charge in the state Ashok Gehlot, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Madhusudan Mistry, state party chief Bharatsinh Solanki and other senior leaders of the party on the stage. The party had set up a T-shape ramp for Rahul Gandhi to walk and have dialogue with around 20,000 party workers who were gathered at the venue.
The Congress VP hit out at BJP on multiple issues, including demonetization, GST, lack of employment, health, education, issues concerning farmers, tribals, dalits and Patidaars. The Congress VP appeared to be relatively more prepared and addressed different segments of voters in his address. Being in the commercial capital of the state that is considered economic powerhouse, he tried to reach out to small and medium businessmen and traders who have traditionally stood with BJP strongly. He raised the issue of demonetization, GST, and lack of capital for the SME sector and traders, stating that if the focus was on them they could generate massive employment and also help India compete with China.
“Modiji’s entire focus is on top 50 businessmen. Our entire focus will be on small and medium business,” he said adding that recent fall of 2% in GDP was indicative of negative impact of demonitisation. “Modi ji gave Rs 60,000 crore to one company (Tata group for Nano project). If this money was given to small and medium enterprises of Gujarat, how much employment would they have generated?...But they are not helped in Gujarat.”
He said that priorities of BJP and PM were misplaced. “The total debt of farmers in Gujarat is Rs 36,000 crore and Nano project was given double that money. You travel across Gujarat but do you see any Nanos? Modi ji works only for big industrialists,” Rahul Gandhi said.
In his bid to placate any further dissidence in the party and to boost morale of party workers, Rahul Gandhi said that the candidature to fight Assembly polls in the state would be only with hardcore party workers. “Those para-dropping at last moment will not be accommodated. Only those wedded to Congress principles and fighting RSS and BJP on ground will get the tickets,” he said. “Do not budge an inch and show it to BJP that what it means to be a Congressman,” Gandhi urged party workers.