AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: An acrimonious poll campaign in Gujarat ended on Tuesday evening with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi canvassing for their parties with optics and slogans.
If the last day of electioneering was a contest for eyeballs, Modi won hands down by flying in a seaplane that took off from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to the Amba Mata Temple in Banaskantha. The plane ride was also perhaps to highlight the “Gujarat model of development”. But Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference, an event the PM studiously avoids, where he sounded the end of 22 years of BJP rule in the State.
Rahul Gandhi began the day by visiting the Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad, his last in a series of temple visits that has marked this campaign. The Congress leader reiterated the action against Mani Shankar Aiyar but asserted that it was wrong on the part of Modi to question the integrity of former prime minister Manmohan Singh. “Modiji says a lot of things about me, but I will not use foul language to criticise him. His comments against the former PM are unacceptable,” he said.
The BJP had to field Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to counter Rahul Gandhi. Prasad alleged that Rahul Gandhi had been lying to the people of Gujarat and asked the Congress leader to share the constitutional outlines to give reservation to the Patidar community.
For Modi and his lieutenant, BJP president Amit Shah, who has practically hunkered down in Gujarat for two months, this Assembly election is crucial. This is the first time Modi is helming an Assembly election in his home state as the PM.
Modi, in the evening, took to Twitter to play the Gujarati card. He said the youth of Gujarat, accounting for 52 per cent of the electorate, would not let go the “golden opportunity of the state and the Centre working together for development”.
Modi said it was natural for the people of Gujarat to be hurt by abuses hurled by Congress leaders. “With the government of India and the government of Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This 1 + 1 is not 2 but 11 and together we will take Gujarat to new heights,” Modi tweeted, adding that a BJP victory would guarantee development of the State. He said the people would give a befitting reply to the negative campaign of the Congress.