PTI Photo Gandhinagar: Seeking to deflect the mounting criticism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the Goods and Services Tax as a collective political decision. “The decision to implement the reform was not that of Prime Minister Modi alone. Nearly 30 parties were consulted, including the Congress, which is an equal partner in the decision,’’ he said.
As such, the Centre was just a thirtieth part of the GST council, Modi said, thereby suggesting that the entire responsibility for implementation of GST and the problems arising therefrom did not rest solely with his government. He was, however, quick to add that he had promised to review the new tax regime and had indeed done so. Lunging into the Congress, his party’s principal opponent in the ensuing elections, the prime minister said that they were now trying to mislead the people after being a party to the decision.
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Invoking regional pride and dropping the names of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai, the prime minister further accused the “Congress and the family” of slighting them. Introducing a personal element into his speech, he also alleged that a “conspiracy” had been hatched by the Congress to put him in jail – an oblique reference to accusations of his complicity in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
“Gujarat polls are round the corner and the Congress has developed fever once again. Gujarat has been an eyesore for the party and the family. I won’t repeat what they did to Sardar Patel, his daughter Maniben, and Morarji Desai. “They did not speak about the work of Morarji Desai or his dedication and commitment to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. They instead chose to talk about what he ate and drank,” Modi told a massive BJP rally at Bhat village near Gandhinagar, referring to the former prime minister’s fondness for urine therapy.
Taking the tirade further, Modi elaborated: “You did not waste any opportunity to strike. When I was the chief minister and you were in power at the Centre, you hatched a conspiracy to put me in jail. You knew that it was not possible until Amit Shah (BJP chief) was put behind bars, and you did that. “This is the poison, the malice you harbour. Since Patel conceived the Narmada project, it was not allowed to be completed for 40-50 years,” Modi asserted as he repeatedly attacked the Nehru-Gandhi family in his speech.
Warming up to his pet theme, Modi said, “The ensuing poll battle is largely between the practitioners of dynastic politics and those who are working for development. The Congress has looted the country while I believe that the country is bigger than the party. I am seeking to build the future of the country and therefore development is all that I can think of. The Congress keeps talking about development but their focus is on communalism, casteism and hoodwinking the people. Stop misleading the people and for once fight the elections on the issue of development,” he challenged his principal rivals.
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The gauntlet comes in the backdrop of a social media campaign that has gone viral in the state and seeks to equate ‘vikas’ — the cornerstone of the BJP’s campaign — as an individual gone crazy (Vikas gando thayo chhe). The BJP has also launched a counter campaign to wrest the initiative – it that shows the prime minister and other leaders and carries the catch line: ‘‘I am Gujarat, I am development”.
Modi said that there have been allegations that the BJP is anti-Dalit, anti-OBC, anti-tribal and a predominantly urban party. However, the situation on the ground is that the BJP has maximum legislators from among Dalits, OBCs and farming community. He named former chief minister and former union minister, Madhavsinh Solanki, the father of Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki, in the list of the ‘aggrieved’. Interestingly Modi had during his last visit to Gujarat ridiculed Madhavsinh Solanki for his narrow vision of development.
The prime minister will return to Gujarat on Sunday to flag off the ferry service between Dahej and Ghogha. This is his fourth visit in as many weeks and the eighth in a year. Modi made it a point to laud Amit Shah, his party president, for enhancing the BJP’s profile; this had unnerved the Congress and seen it sink into politics of lies and negativism.
“MAUSAM KA HAAL:
Chunao se pehle Gujarat mai aaj hogi jumlo ki barish (Before the polls in Gujarat, there will be a rain of jumlas),” Rahul Gandhi on Twitter.
