Hours before Gujarat goes to polling in the first phase of Assembly elections (December 9), suspended Congress leader Mani Shanker Aiyar replaced vikas (development) as the BJP’s key plank. Even as the Congress and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi worked hard on damage control, Prime Minister Narendra Modi scaled up his attack on his opponents.
Yesterday, Aiyar accused Modi of being a ‘ neech aadmi’ . While he later insisted he was referring to Modi’s low level of politics, the BJP was quick to give it a ‘low-caste’ spin.
“When I became the PM, Aiyar said while on a visit to Pakistan that India-Pakistan relations couldn’t be improved unless I was removed from the scene. Did Aiyar give a
He was campaigning for second phase polls in the State, slated for December 14.
He accused the Congress of not only abusing and denigrating him but also India overseas. “Without punishing it, the Congress cannot be reformed,” he said.
Compilation of slurs
Later in the day, at a meeting in Ahmedabad, Modi released a compilation of comments by Congress leaders against him. While Sonia Gandhi had called him maut ka saudagar (merchant of death), Rahul Gandhi had called him khoon ka dalal (dealer of blood), he recalled. He had been variously referred to as snake, scorpion, ‘Bhasmasur’ and a ‘national problem’, he said.
But the Congress is today a “previous century’s party, being rejected everywhere by the people of India”, he said.
Development issue
At a rally at Pavi Jetpur in Chhota Udepur district, Rahul hit back, saying the Congress is contesting the polls only on the issue of development.
Even as he asked party workers to respect the PM and avoid using filthy language against anyone, he accused Modi of using the opportunity to divert people’s attention from the real issues. “Although Aiyar has apologised, the PM and the BJP continued to use abusive words,” he said.
In Ahmedabad, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala asked the PM and the BJP if they would similarly apologise for their utterances.
At a meeting in Kalol, Modi said former PM Manmohan Singh dilly-dallied whenever he, as then Gujarat CM, invited the latter for a visit.
On Thursday, when Singh did land in the State for a visit, an elderly man in Rajkot submitted a 250-page document to the ex-PM, enlisting the scams of the UPA regime, said Modi.
Law and order
At Bhabhra, Modi reminded the people about the BJP government’s efforts to establish law and order after the alleged lawlessness of the previous Congress regimes. He also recalled how the local Congress MLAs stayed at a resort in Bengaluru in August, when North Gujarat reeled under severe floods.
(The MLAs had been flown to Bengaluru to prevent horse-trading ahead of a crucial Rajya Sabha election.)
“The RSS-BJP have always been with you through thick and thin, ” said Modi.