RaGa roars in PM’s hometown

Vadnagar: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took the Gujarat election battle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown Vadnagar, which has not seen a public rally addressed by a central Congress leader in at least 30 years. After the BJP made extensive efforts to unseat the Amethi MP by aggressive campaigning in his constituency, Gandhi seems to have hit back in kind.

Gandhi did not shy away from targeting the hometown favourite either, alluding to the PM's self-centredness and nervousness. "The PM is nervous. He first said that BJP will fight this election on Narmada water issue, but he stopped talking about it when he realized that farmers are not getting water, but industrialists are. Then he said it would be fought on 'vikas', but he left that on finding that 'vikas' has gone crazy. Then it was the Other Backward Class issue. When nothing worked, Narendra Modi on Friday made a full speech only on Narendra Modi. The PM must realise that this election is not about him. It is not about me either. This election is about the future of people of Gujarat," he said

Rahul's barbs at the PM drew special applause and cheers with the symbolic importance of the meeting venue not being lost on any of the audience. However, Gandhi played safe by not asking his usual questions to the audience. Congress leader Lalji Desai summed up the situation pithily, "Gadh ma gabdu padvu hoy toh ghar ma gha marvo pade. (If you want to breech a stronghold, you have to attack the home)."

Gandhi also blazed away at BJP government's alleged favouring of industry at the cost of farmers. "Entire villages gave all their land to the Tata Nano project and the government gave them Rs 33,000 crores interest-free. We gave the entire country's farmers a loans waiver in that much money. BJP government waived debts of Rs 1.3 lakh crore of the country's 10 biggest industrialists,"

"In Mundra he gave 45,000 hectares of your land to an industrialist for Rs 1 per square metre. That land was sold to our public sector companies like HPCL and IOCL for Rs 3,000 per square metre," the Congress VP said.

Gandhi promised that a Congress government would waive farm debt in Gujarat in 10 days of forming the government here. He also promised schemes for free medical treatment and medicines as implemented by the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan.

The five-term BJP MLA from Unjha, under which Vadnagar town and 18 villages around it fall, Narayan Lalludas Patel said, "In my five terms or even before, I have no recollection of any rally by Congress's central leaders in Vadnagar. This rally will not make any difference."

Former president of Vadnagar nagarpalika Sunil Mehta said, "This is the first time a central Congress leader has come to Vadnagar. As far as I know this is Narendra Modi's hometown and a stronghold."

An audience member at the rally Shambhuji Thakore said, "My village falls in Kheralu constituency, but I had to come to see our young leader speak in Narendra Modi's backyard."

A resident of Vadnagar Hiraben Ganpatbhai while leaving the meeting said, "I liked Rahulji's speech. If he comes, some employment will come. Despite them ruling for 22 years, no industry has come to this place. Modi is from here, but our children have to go elsewhere for work and business."