Rahul Gandhi in Surat as it happened: Fight between Gujarat's truths and BJP's lies, says Congress VP

21:48 (IST)

Thank you #Surat for this immense love, support overwhelming response and blessings.. 🙏#Varachha#NavsarjanYatra#CongressAveChhe#Gujaratpic.twitter.com/7OedQK2k5u

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 3, 2017

21:03 (IST)

Rahul concludes rally with a promise to revisit Surat on 8 November

Rahul Gandhi said that he does not just believe in giving speeches but also listening to the people. He said that he will visit again on 8 November and visit the industries and workshops in Surat to understand the traders' sentiment. 

8 November is also the anniversary of demonetisation, which the Congress has decided to observe as a 'black day." 

21:01 (IST)

Why is PM Modi silent on Jay Shah's business dealings, asks Rahul Gandhi

Criticising the BJP over the controversial business dealings of Jay Amit Shah, Rahul said that it was a miraculous formula perhaps with which they could multiply there gains at such a rate. Rahul said that Modi should change his slogan frm "na khaunga na khane dunga" to "na bolunga na bolne dunga". 

"Modi used to say he was the guard against corruption, I say he is a partner in corruption," Gandhi said. 

20:51 (IST)

GST is Gabbar Singh Tax, it's aimed at looting your money: Rahul Gandhi

"This is not GST, this is Gabbar Singh Tax. Its aim is to take away your hard earned money. They talk about Ease of Doing Business and bring back American certificate to make tall claims. We don't need certificates to see the reality.," Gandhi said. 

20:47 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi hits out at Modi over demonetisation

"He spent two percent of India's GDP in implementing demonetisation, now he wants to celebrate it too," Rahul Gandhi said. He said that Modi did not even stop there. He went on and implemented the GST in a wrong manner. It was our idea and he ruined it. We told them to implement it in a phased manner but they acted on a whim. This did not harm the richest of the richest. It destroyed Surat," Gandhi said. 

20:42 (IST)

"Only Surat's businessmen have the capacity to match up to China's challange. If ever India were to compete with China, only Surat's traders can do it and they will add impetus to the rest of the nation's growth," Rahul Gandhi said.

20:41 (IST)

"BJP used all your resources, your power and channeled it to a few industrialist. That's how they ran the state for 22 years," Rahul Gandhi said. 

20:39 (IST)

Gujarat only state in India where 90% educational institutes are privatised: Rahul Gandhi

20:39 (IST)

BJP failed in generating employment: Rahul Gandhi

20:38 (IST)

Congress invested money in MGNREGA, BJP gifted it to TATAs

"While the Congress party invested money in the MGNREGA scheme to generate employment, the BJP gave your money, your land and your resources to Tata to make Nano cars. Where are those cars," Rahul Gandhi said. 

20:36 (IST)

Fight is between Gujarat's truth and BJP's rants: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said that there's a huge difference between the state's truth and the BJP's version of the truth. While on one hand, the state suffered, the BJP's truth is their friendship to big industrialists. 

20:32 (IST)

Amid chants of Jai Sardar, Jai Bhavani, Rahul Gandhi starts address at Varacha in Surat

20:20 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi reaches Surat amid rousing welcome 

20:18 (IST)

As Congress goes all out to woo Patidars, its core votebank Muslims disenchanted over party abandoning them for Patels

"Absence of a credible option has once again made Muslims reliant on the Congress despite resentment that the grand old party has dumped them for the influential Patidar community.

That apart, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s temple visits during his campaign in the state has also made them think that the opposition party is adopting a soft-Hindutva approach in a bid to counter the BJP," an article in Hindustan Times states. 

20:03 (IST)

Why Surat rally is strategic for Congress poll strategy?

As the Congress party looks at gaining off the Patidar community's disenchantent with the BJP, Surat automatically assumes importance for the party as the Patidar agitation took birth in July 2015 in this region. 

Moreover, the region not only emerged as a nerve point of the Patel agitation but is also strategically important given the problems faced by traders owing to demonetisation and implementation of the GST regime. The textile and diamond hub in the region have suffered due to the short-term impacts of the Modi government's policies and the Congress would want to woo them over.  

19:55 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi to address mega rally in Surat shortly

19:55 (IST)

Congress will include Dalit demands in its manifesto: Jignesh Mevani

“Rahul-ji called us in a pro-active approach. There was discussion, there was debate, there was a dialogue. He has promised to include most of our demands in the Congress manifesto. We will do everything to defeat the anti-people BJP,” Mevani said. 

19:35 (IST)

19:02 (IST)

Today #JigneshMevani joined Sh #RahulGandhi... Mevani has been raising his voice for the rights of Dalits in #Gujarat... pic.twitter.com/EBbb7oJmYn

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 3, 2017

19:00 (IST)

In Pictures: Jignesh Mevani meets Rahul Gandhi

18:47 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi said ​90% of our demands were not demands but constitutional rights: Jignesh Mewani after meeting Congress VP 

Jignesh Mevani spoke to the press after meeting Rahul Gandhi. The Dalit leader appeared positive about his interaction with the Congress VP but stopped short of declaring his party's support to the Congress. He said that Rahul at least heard his community's demands while the BJP was never even interested to talk. 

He said that he will do whatever it takes to defeat "janvirodhi BJP". He also claimed that the Congress VP had said that 90% of their demands were not even demands but the constitutional rights of Dalits.  

With inputs from Darshan Desai

18:23 (IST)

Mevani had kept 17 point demand letter in front of Congress VP

Mevani had met Rahul Gandhi wanting the Congress' stand on 17 demands related to his community. The demands include an allotment of five acres of farmland to the Dalits, alternative employment for those involved in cattle-skinning and manual scavenging and the release of a probe report into an incident of firing on the community members at Thangadh in Surendranagar district in 2012.

18:19 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi meets Jignesh Mevani; Dalit pledges support to Congress: Reports

Various media reports claim that the Convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch Jignesh Mevani has met Congress VP Rahul gandhi and the duo managed to come to a consensus to ally ahead of the Assembly polls. Mevani has reportedly declared his support for Congress in the elections. 

Mevani, who had dubbed BJP anti-Dalit, shot to fame after the Una Dalit flogging incident last year. 

Gujarat’s Dalit face Jignesh Mewani meets Rahul Gandhi, declares support to Congress in election@jigneshmevani80@OfficeOfRG

— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) November 3, 2017

17:26 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi addresses women Congress workers in navsari

17:21 (IST)

Mr Modi doesn't know the difference between cash and black money: Rahul Gandhi takes dig at PM

"Mr Modi doesn't understand that all cash is not black money. The daily wage of a paid labourer is not black money. The daily earnings of small shopkeepers is not black money," Gandhi said amid loud applause. He claimed that the black money Modi was busy looking for in poor man's pockets was hidden in foreign bank accounts. 

17:18 (IST)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed in providing jobs to the youth, and instead of creating two crore jobs every year as promised by him, only one lakh jobs are being generated a year, Gandhi said. 

17:12 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi slams BJP govt for failing to ensure affordable education in Gujarat

"Gujarat's 90% Colleges, Universities are private. This is the only state in India where 15,000 government schools have been shut:" Rahul Gandhi

17:08 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi speaks at Italva, Navsari

17:06 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi visits Patidar farmers in Valsad

16:57 (IST)

Rahul Gandhi says land acquisition is biggest form of corruption in Gujarat

It is raining promises in Gujarat! As the Assembly elections draw closer, politicians are striving to woo voters with multiple poll promises, each trying to package their claims in a new, more attractive wrap. 

Rahul Gandhi, who was on the third day of his visit to south Gujarat, today, claimed that Congress would ease the land acquisition laws if voted to power. He claimed that he biggest corruption in the present government was in acquiring lands of poor farmers for dishing out favours to big industrialists, an India Today report stated. 

16:43 (IST)

In Surat, Hardik Patel launches biopic on himself hours before Rahul Gandhi's rally

Hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally in Surat’s Patel-dominated Varachha area at 7 pm, firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel is launching a Hindi film made on him called, Hammein Haq Chahiye, Haq Se, in the same area. 
 

This is one of the key regions where the Patidar agitation took birth in July 2015.
 

Directed by Rakesh Jaggi, who had also worked on popular soap operas like Kahani Ghar Ghar ki and Kyu Ki Sas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi. The starcast includes popular names like Ankit Bhardwaj, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Sudesh Berry. 

16:25 (IST)

Watch: Rahul Gandhi perform aarti at Shri Ranchhodray temple

Congress VP #RahulGandhi does darshan of Shri Ranchhodray at Village Kosamba, Valsad .@aajtakpic.twitter.com/h6tgjjyN8Q

— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) November 3, 2017

16:24 (IST)

Enroute Surat, Rahul Gandhi's convoy halts at another temple amid BJP's allegations of peddling soft Hindutva

On his way to Surat from Valsad, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a stop at Shri Ranchhodray temple in a village in Valsad. Rahul performed aarti and offered prayers at the temple according to the local rituals. 

Meanwhile, the BJP has been critical of the Congress VP's temple visits in Gujarat. The ruling party had taken digs at Rahul for his "new-found" faith in Hindu Gods. Rahul, had however, hit back at the saffron party claiming that temples were open for all and not the private property of BJP leaders. 

"Kya mujhe mandir jaana mana hai (am I not allowed to visit temples?)" he had told reporters who alleged that his visit was intended to cancel out the BJP's allegation that the Congress minces around Hindu symbolism to appease Muslims, reported NDTV. 

16:12 (IST)

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi to meet Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani

Mevani, who has been critical of the ruling BJP in the state, may meet Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on an election campaign tour of south Gujarat. 

Mevani had earlier said he would meet Rahul Gandhi only when he was called to discuss the opposition party's stand on various demands of the Dalit community. 

"I want to make it clear that neither have I joined the Congress nor am I going to join the party in the future. Not just the Congress, I have no plans of joining any other party as of now," he had told reporters in Ahmedabad yesterday.

However, the young leader, who shot to fame after the Una Dalit flogging incident last year, had added that he was ready to meet Rahul Gandhi to know about the Congress' stand on 17 demands related to his community.