The Congress has changed tack and focussed on development issues in Gujarat. But chief minister Narendra Modi is single-minded about his target – Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. A day after Gandhi launched the party’s poll campaign in Gujarat, Modi renewed his tirade against her, dubbing her speech
“lacklustre.”
“There was nothing in Soniaji's speech ... it was devoid of substance and when the media couldn't find anything interesting, they published big photographs of her,” Modi said on Thursday while addressing a rally in tribal-dominated Dahod, central Gujarat.
The Congress president’s speech had shown a shift in focus. Unlike the 2002 and 2007 elections, when the party had talked of the 2002 riots, it had kept its spotlight on development this time. Questioning Modi’s development propaganda, Gandhi had cited the farmer’s suicide cases in Saurashtra. “Water from Narmada has not reached farmers in the last 10 years,” she had said.
But Modi had turned the matter adroitly. “Comparing Gujarat with other states and portraying it in poor light is defamation of Gujarat,” he said, appealing afresh to the Gujarati asmita.
He further warned the Congress, which is focusing on the crucial Saurashtra region, that even in Rajkot, BJP would win all the seats. “Last time, Soniaji had launched her campaign from Chhota Udepur but BJP won the seat,” he added.