Unlike Madhya Pradesh- a BJP stronghold- where the aim of saffron party is to retain power, party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's fight to oust Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government from Rajasthan is going to be a tougher bet for him and his party. Sensing stiff competition from Congress, Narendra Modi addressed his first rally -out of the four rallies scheduled for Monday -in Khetri (Jhunjhunu).
He began the address by apologising for being late for the rally. "Swami Vivekananda visited Khetri thrice. He came as Narendra, left as Vivekananda. I am late because I wanted to spend some time in the room where Swami Vivekananda stayed in Khetri," he said.
Launching an attack on Congress, he said,"How will a government that can’t save the rupee, save industries. All round development requires equal attention on all the three sectors- agriculture, industry and the service sector. State government has done nothing for them. Will you bring such government to power again. Let us see what falls first, the rupee or Centre’s honour." He further accused central government of suffering from policy paralysis
"The party at the Centre does not believe in development, it continues misrule despite repeated strictures from the courts. All it wants is to remain in power," he alleged.
Simultaneously, he lauded state BJP chief Vasundhara Raje for spiralling the growth of the state when BJP was in power.
"Under Vasundharaji state’s development rate was 9 per cent now it is 4.9 per cent. There was a decline in the tourists coming to Rajasthan after the fall of Vasundhara Ji’s government, is this not a loss for Rajasthan. There will be unprecedented development if Vasundhara Ji becomes the CM of Rajasthan," Narendra Modi said.
Taking a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, he said 'Shehzada' himself had no faith in the Congress government in Rajasthan, neither was the Rajasthan governor happy with the condition of the roads.
Citing infrastructural loopholes in the state, he called the govt's inability to set up an army training centre in Rajasthan as 'shameful'. "Rajasthan is the land of the brave. People from here have given their lives for the nation. I'll show you the war memorial for martyrs we have constructed in Kutch. This land of martyrs has no Sainik school," he added.
"On what basis are you asking for votes? Have you done anything constructive for Rajasthan? And, you are civil people who are listening them out," he said.
In a scathing attack on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Narendra Modi said," Gehlot ji after December 8 you will be free, please come to Gujarat with your family. Your son is my friend, I invite you all. The size of the pipelines in Gujarat is big enough for you and your family to take a Maruti car and drive through them."
While citing the works done by his predecessors in the party, he honoured former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who conducted nuclear tests. There were international sanctions, a weak leader would have been scared, but not BJP. Atal ji did not let value of the rupee fall, economy was strong in his rule. But see what is happening today under economist PM," he said while appealing to uproot the Congress from every corner of Rajasthan and make BJP win in every booth.
He ended his poll campaign in Mandsaur and Ujjain of MP on Saturday where elections are underway as you read. He then moved to another poll bound state of Rajasthan on Sunday and kickstarted his campaign by attacking Sonia Gandhi over 'BJP is poisonous remark' during her Kota rally.
Accusing BJP of bad-mouthing the Congress, she had said," BJP says our medicines are poisonous; I would like to say their mentality is venomous. Congress will continue to work for the welfare and upliftment of the people, no matter how much BJP criticises it. BJP is only greedy to come to power, it is not concerned about the poor."
Modi was quick to retaliate as soon as he took to the stage in Banswara saying "Madam's Shehzada once said in Jaipur that his mother told him that power is poison. They ruled the country for almost 50 years since Independence...then who has tasted poison for a longer period...it is Congress...then who else can be more poisonous (than Congress)."
After MP, the attack and counter-attack from the grounds of Rajasthan has already marked the beginning of a final political battle by BJP, Congress here as it goes to polls on December 1st followed by Delhi where elections are scheduled for December 4.
To keep a grip over the voters in MP and not let them, for a moment, shift loyalties to Congress, Modi evidently kept alive a relentess fight with his spate of rallies spread over a month's time. What's left to be seen is whether Modi's rallies in Rajasthan will be a sustained fight against the Congress just like Madhya Pradesh, if yes, whether he will be able to garner enough support for BJP to oust Ashok Gehlot government from Rajasthan.
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