News Analysis India

Tag: Gujarat Elections

  • Despite a bad loss in Gujarat polls, large-scale tug-of-war in Congress to choose Opposition leader

    Express News Service

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who held a press conference in Jaipur on Friday, blamed that if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had not been “put up as a proxy to target” his party, they would have won the recently concluded Gujarat assembly elections. But the internal battle of Gujarat Congress leaders for opposition leaders’ posts tells a different story.

    Before the session of the Gujarat Assembly on 20th December, there is a large-scale tug-of-war going on in the Gujarat Congress to decide the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Importantly, more than 3 congress leaders blamed the chief of the Gujarat Congress for their defeat.

    A Congress leader on the condition of anonymity said “On one hand, the discussions of defeat in the Congress are going on in the state office, on the other hand, Congress leaders C.J. Chavda, Shailesh Parmar, and four to five other MLAs who have won, are lobbying up to Delhi High Command to make them a leader of the opposition (LOP),”

    “Importantly, every leader who lobbied for the Leader of the Opposition from the state to the Delhi level emphasized the ill effects if another leader was made the Leader of the Opposition. Each and every leader are Complaining about the opposite leader,” he further said

    Besides cutthroat competition for Lop, Many Gujarat Congress leaders complained about the congress president and leaders for their defeat, former MLA Raghu Desai, who lost the Assembly polls from Ranadharpur in Patan district, has asked the central leadership to suspend state unit president Jagdish Thakor, alleging his “close associates” had worked against the party.

    Desai also wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying “Some party leaders had worked against the interest of the party and also to defeat me in the election. Some of them were close associates of Jagdish Thakor. As the GPCC president, he never controlled such people and played an important rolein defeating me,” alleged Desai.

    Congress’ Lone Muslim MLA from Ahmedbad’s Jamal Pur Khadia Assembly Blamed Rahul Gandhi and Delhi leadership for their defeat. Talking to Local Media, MLA Imran Khedawala said, “Rahul Gandhi was busy with ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ which was to be organized a year ago. It would be best if you asked in Delhi why this Yatra did not go through Gujarat. The party should have focused on Gujarat. The way BJP landed its national leaders here, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi’s rally should have been held here,”

    Surat Congress president Hasmukh Desai also blamed State leadership, saying “Gujarat in charge Dr. Raghu Sharma, State President Jagdish Thakor, AICC Co-Incharge – South Zone BM Sandeep did not co-ordinate with the Surat City President in the election operations, even after such a bad defeat of Congress,the leaders are throwing mud at each other for the position of LOP.”

    Importantly, on one side where congress leaders are fighting for LOP Post, some senior leaders are claiming that there is no codified rule in the Gujarat Assembly on granting the status of LoP, but a norm is being followed assembly since 1960, according to which any party that gets a minimum of 10 per cent ofthe total seats, gets recognised as an opposition party. The Congress is one short of the 10% mark, at 18 seats, it is left to the Speaker whether to grant the status to the largest opposition party or not.

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who held a press conference in Jaipur on Friday, blamed that if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had not been “put up as a proxy to target” his party, they would have won the recently concluded Gujarat assembly elections. But the internal battle of Gujarat Congress leaders for opposition leaders’ posts tells a different story.

    Before the session of the Gujarat Assembly on 20th December, there is a large-scale tug-of-war going on in the Gujarat Congress to decide the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Importantly, more than 3 congress leaders blamed the chief of the Gujarat Congress for their defeat.

    A Congress leader on the condition of anonymity said “On one hand, the discussions of defeat in the Congress are going on in the state office, on the other hand, Congress leaders C.J. Chavda, Shailesh Parmar, and four to five other MLAs who have won, are lobbying up to Delhi High Command to make them a leader of the opposition (LOP),”

    “Importantly, every leader who lobbied for the Leader of the Opposition from the state to the Delhi level emphasized the ill effects if another leader was made the Leader of the Opposition. Each and every leader are Complaining about the opposite leader,” he further said

    Besides cutthroat competition for Lop, Many Gujarat Congress leaders complained about the congress president and leaders for their defeat, former MLA Raghu Desai, who lost the Assembly polls from Ranadharpur in Patan district, has asked the central leadership to suspend state unit president Jagdish Thakor, alleging his “close associates” had worked against the party.

    Desai also wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying “Some party leaders had worked against the interest of the party and also to defeat me in the election. Some of them were close associates of Jagdish Thakor. As the GPCC president, he never controlled such people and played an important role
    in defeating me,” alleged Desai.

    Congress’ Lone Muslim MLA from Ahmedbad’s Jamal Pur Khadia Assembly Blamed Rahul Gandhi and Delhi leadership for their defeat. Talking to Local Media, MLA Imran Khedawala said, “Rahul Gandhi was busy with ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ which was to be organized a year ago. It would be best if you asked in Delhi why this Yatra did not go through Gujarat. The party should have focused on Gujarat. The way BJP landed its national leaders here, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi’s rally should have been held here,”

    Surat Congress president Hasmukh Desai also blamed State leadership, saying “Gujarat in charge Dr. Raghu Sharma, State President Jagdish Thakor, AICC Co-Incharge – South Zone BM Sandeep did not co-ordinate with the Surat City President in the election operations, even after such a bad defeat of Congress,
    the leaders are throwing mud at each other for the position of LOP.”

    Importantly, on one side where congress leaders are fighting for LOP Post, some senior leaders are claiming that there is no codified rule in the Gujarat Assembly on granting the status of LoP, but a norm is being followed assembly since 1960, according to which any party that gets a minimum of 10 per cent of
    the total seats, gets recognised as an opposition party. The Congress is one short of the 10% mark, at 18 seats, it is left to the Speaker whether to grant the status to the largest opposition party or not.

  • Bhupendra Patel takes oath as Chief Minister of Gujarat for second term

    By Online Desk

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

    He was administered the oath as the 18th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function held at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat in Gandhinagar.

    BJP MLAs Kanubhai Desai, Rushikesh Patel, Raghavji Patel and Balwantsinh Rajput took oath as Cabinet ministers.

    Additionally, Kuvarji Bavaliya, Mulubhai Bera, Kuber Dindor, Bhanuben Babariya were sworn in as Cabinet ministers.

    BJP MLAs Harsh Sanghavi and Jagdish Vishwakarma took oath as ministers of state (Independent charge). 

    EDITOR’S OPINION | Mt Modi and the lesser peaks, drawn to scale

    In the just-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, counting for which was held on December 8, the BJP won a seventh straight term by winning record 156 seats in the 182-member House. The Congress won 17 constituencies and AAP 5.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

    He was administered the oath as the 18th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function held at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat in Gandhinagar.

    BJP MLAs Kanubhai Desai, Rushikesh Patel, Raghavji Patel and Balwantsinh Rajput took oath as Cabinet ministers.

    Additionally, Kuvarji Bavaliya, Mulubhai Bera, Kuber Dindor, Bhanuben Babariya were sworn in as Cabinet ministers.

    BJP MLAs Harsh Sanghavi and Jagdish Vishwakarma took oath as ministers of state (Independent charge). 

    EDITOR’S OPINION | Mt Modi and the lesser peaks, drawn to scale

    In the just-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, counting for which was held on December 8, the BJP won a seventh straight term by winning record 156 seats in the 182-member House. The Congress won 17 constituencies and AAP 5.

  • Gujarat landslide, himachal stunner

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Brand Modi registered a historic victory in the Gujarat elections where it shattered all previous records and confined the opposition Congress to its worst ever tally, which is insufficient to even claim the post of leader of opposition in the state Assembly. To get the post, the Congress needs a minimum of 19 seats in the 182-member House, but has only 17.

    The other state that went to polls Himachal Pradesh saw the Congress wresting power from the BJP. The grand old party won 40 seats against the BJP’s 25. Unpopularity of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and the Congress party’s election promises of restoring the old pension scheme, free 300 units of power and `1,500 allowance to women saw the state continuing the decades old tradition of not re-electing a sitting government. 

    The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed 31 rallies in Gujarat, won 156 seats and is set to form a government for the seventh consecutive term, equaling the Left Front record in West Bengal. The party also surpassed its previous best performance of winning 127 seats in the state in 2002, and bettered Madhavsinh Solanki’s all-time record of winning 149 seats for the Congress in 1985. 

    Such was the popularity of the BJP in this election that it swept the tribal and minority seats, which were considered Congress strongholds before this election. The Congress citadel of Saurashtra, which helped bring the party within striking distance of power in the 2017 election, also came crumbling down under the BJP’s onslaught.

    As celebrations broke out, the party’s Gujarat president C R Patil announced that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will take his oath of office on December 12. The ceremony will be attended by the prime minister, home minister Amit Shah and national president J P Nadda, besides a number of Union ministers and chief ministers. 

    Addressing party workers at the BJP’s Delhi headquarters, Modi termed the Gujarat victory as the beginning of the golden period for new India. He said the BJP will deliver a developed India to the youth of the country by 2047. Nadda attributed the landslide to the prime minister’s credibility and people’s trust in his leadership. Amit Shah termed the victory as a rejection of those who do politics of hollow promises, freebies and appeasement. He said it shows the “unwavering faith of the public in Narendra Modi’s development model”.

    As for the AAP, it garnered nearly 13% votes in Gujarat, bringing down the Congress share from 40% in the last election to 27%. The AAP’s vote share catapulted it to the status of a national party. In Himachal, the Congress frontrunner for the post of chief minister, Kaul Singh Thakur, lost the election just like BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal did while his party won the last election.

    Another senior Congress leader, Asha Kumari, who was also in the running for CM-ship, lost. The top contenders for the post now are state party president Pratibha Singh, senior MLA Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, state working president Rajendra Rana, who had defeated Dhumal in the last election, former state president Kuldip Rathore, and leader of opposition in the outgoing House Mukesh Agnihotri.

    NEW DELHI:  Brand Modi registered a historic victory in the Gujarat elections where it shattered all previous records and confined the opposition Congress to its worst ever tally, which is insufficient to even claim the post of leader of opposition in the state Assembly. To get the post, the Congress needs a minimum of 19 seats in the 182-member House, but has only 17.

    The other state that went to polls Himachal Pradesh saw the Congress wresting power from the BJP. The grand old party won 40 seats against the BJP’s 25. Unpopularity of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and the Congress party’s election promises of restoring the old pension scheme, free 300 units of power and `1,500 allowance to women saw the state continuing the decades old tradition of not re-electing a sitting government. 

    The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed 31 rallies in Gujarat, won 156 seats and is set to form a government for the seventh consecutive term, equaling the Left Front record in West Bengal. The party also surpassed its previous best performance of winning 127 seats in the state in 2002, and bettered Madhavsinh Solanki’s all-time record of winning 149 seats for the Congress in 1985. 

    Such was the popularity of the BJP in this election that it swept the tribal and minority seats, which were considered Congress strongholds before this election. The Congress citadel of Saurashtra, which helped bring the party within striking distance of power in the 2017 election, also came crumbling down under the BJP’s onslaught.

    As celebrations broke out, the party’s Gujarat president C R Patil announced that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will take his oath of office on December 12. The ceremony will be attended by the prime minister, home minister Amit Shah and national president J P Nadda, besides a number of Union ministers and chief ministers. 

    Addressing party workers at the BJP’s Delhi headquarters, Modi termed the Gujarat victory as the beginning of the golden period for new India. He said the BJP will deliver a developed India to the youth of the country by 2047. Nadda attributed the landslide to the prime minister’s credibility and people’s trust in his leadership. Amit Shah termed the victory as a rejection of those who do politics of hollow promises, freebies and appeasement. He said it shows the “unwavering faith of the public in Narendra Modi’s development model”.

    As for the AAP, it garnered nearly 13% votes in Gujarat, bringing down the Congress share from 40% in the last election to 27%. The AAP’s vote share catapulted it to the status of a national party. 
    In Himachal, the Congress frontrunner for the post of chief minister, Kaul Singh Thakur, lost the election just like BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal did while his party won the last election.

    Another senior Congress leader, Asha Kumari, who was also in the running for CM-ship, lost. The top contenders for the post now are state party president Pratibha Singh, senior MLA Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, state working president Rajendra Rana, who had defeated Dhumal in the last election, former state president Kuldip Rathore, and leader of opposition in the outgoing House Mukesh Agnihotri.

  • Gujarat results on expected lines, says Raut; wonders if BJP, AAP had tacit understanding

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Gujarat Assembly election results, wherein the ruling BJP has put up an impressive performance, was on expected lines, and added that people suspect whether there was a tacit understanding between the saffron party and the AAP.

    Counting of votes for a new assembly in Gujarat got underway on Thursday morning, with early trends pointing to a sweeping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has not lost an election in the state since 1995.

    As per the latest trends of the Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP is seen inching towards an all-time high tally of 149 seats in 182-member House; Congress ahead in 19, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 9 seats.

    Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut said had the AAP and other parties come together, formed an alliance or reached an understanding, then it would have been a tough battle for the BJP.

    “Gujarat results are on expected lines,” he said.

    LIVE | Assembly elections results: BJP sweeping Gujarat, in close race with Congress in Himachal

    “People have a suspicion that it must have happened that you (the AAP) take Delhi and leave Gujarat to us (the BJP),” Raut added, alluding to a tacit understanding between the two parties.

    He was referring to AAP’s victory in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls on its home turf in the national capital.

    The Rajya Sabha member also said the AAP’s victory in the MCD is “commendable”.

    “It is not easy to snatch Delhi from a party like the BJP,” he added.

    Raut, a key leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, also defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was virtually absent from his party’s campaign in the state.

    He said Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had nothing to do with politics.

    Raut said in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress was giving a tough fight as per expectations, which he termed as positive.

    The BJP bagged Gujarat, lost Delhi and has to struggle in Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress would win, he claimed.

    “This is optimistic from the point of view of future polls, but only the opposition has to come together to avoid division of votes. If, by keeping aside differences, egos, the battle is contested together then the country will definitely see 2024 a change in 2024,” he said.

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Gujarat Assembly election results, wherein the ruling BJP has put up an impressive performance, was on expected lines, and added that people suspect whether there was a tacit understanding between the saffron party and the AAP.

    Counting of votes for a new assembly in Gujarat got underway on Thursday morning, with early trends pointing to a sweeping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has not lost an election in the state since 1995.

    As per the latest trends of the Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP is seen inching towards an all-time high tally of 149 seats in 182-member House; Congress ahead in 19, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 9 seats.

    Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut said had the AAP and other parties come together, formed an alliance or reached an understanding, then it would have been a tough battle for the BJP.

    “Gujarat results are on expected lines,” he said.

    LIVE | Assembly elections results: BJP sweeping Gujarat, in close race with Congress in Himachal

    “People have a suspicion that it must have happened that you (the AAP) take Delhi and leave Gujarat to us (the BJP),” Raut added, alluding to a tacit understanding between the two parties.

    He was referring to AAP’s victory in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls on its home turf in the national capital.

    The Rajya Sabha member also said the AAP’s victory in the MCD is “commendable”.

    “It is not easy to snatch Delhi from a party like the BJP,” he added.

    Raut, a key leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, also defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was virtually absent from his party’s campaign in the state.

    He said Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had nothing to do with politics.

    Raut said in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress was giving a tough fight as per expectations, which he termed as positive.

    The BJP bagged Gujarat, lost Delhi and has to struggle in Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress would win, he claimed.

    “This is optimistic from the point of view of future polls, but only the opposition has to come together to avoid division of votes. If, by keeping aside differences, egos, the battle is contested together then the country will definitely see 2024 a change in 2024,” he said.

  • Gujarat polls: Congress responsible for keeping Banaskantha thirsty, must be punished: PM Modi

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that the Congress only believed in ‘atkana, latkana aur bhatkana’ (stalling, delaying and misleading), and said those who looted poor people in the country were now abusing him for putting an end to corruption.

    He also alleged that the previous Congress governments never showed any interest in bringing the Narmada river water to the parched regions of Gujarat as the party was only interested in doing those works where there was scope to indulge in corruption.

    Modi was addressing a rally in Kankrej village of Banaskantha district, where voting for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls will be held on December 5.

    “Congress only believed in ‘atkana’, ‘latkana’ and ‘bhatkana’. Elderly people from this region would tell you how Congress governments used to talk about bringing Narmada water in this parched region, but nothing was done on that front during their rule,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Medha Patkar slams Modi, says BJP targeting her presence in Bharat Jodo Yatra for ‘vote bank politics’

    The prime minister accused the Congress of trying to stall the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam and supporting those who delayed the project through litigations, a veiled reference to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar.

    “Can people of Banaskantha forgive those who indulged in this sin of stopping water from coming here? Congress was responsible for keeping Banaskantha thirsty. They must be punished. I hope you will not forget this during polling,” Modi said.

    “Congress never shows interest in those works where their leaders do not find any opportunity to make money. Since they used to get kickbacks in the relief work wherein people were given the task to dig pits during drought, Congress was not providing water. Because they knew that if water is supplied here, their illegal income will stop,” he alleged.

    According to him, it was the BJP government which brought Narmada water into this parched region and promised that it will reach those areas too which were left behind.

    The PM said his government at the Centre had pumped in nearly Rs 1 lakh crore to finish as many as 99 water supply schemes which were abandoned across the country during Congress rule.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat elections: State govt not filling up 5 lakh posts as most will go to Dalits, STs, OBCs: Kharge

    Without taking names, Modi said those who “looted” poor citizens are now giving him ‘gaalis’ (abuses) for putting an end to corrupt practices, like cancelling nearly four crore fake ration cards.

    “Food grains meant for the poor were diverted somewhere else. If you rob poor people, Modi will take action. And when such people are caught, they start abusing me,” he said.

    He claimed that he was confident of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in Gujarat the way people took part in voting on December 1 under the first phase.

    Before addressing the rally, Modi visited Augarnath temple in Kankrej and offered prayers.

    AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that the Congress only believed in ‘atkana, latkana aur bhatkana’ (stalling, delaying and misleading), and said those who looted poor people in the country were now abusing him for putting an end to corruption.

    He also alleged that the previous Congress governments never showed any interest in bringing the Narmada river water to the parched regions of Gujarat as the party was only interested in doing those works where there was scope to indulge in corruption.

    Modi was addressing a rally in Kankrej village of Banaskantha district, where voting for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls will be held on December 5.

    “Congress only believed in ‘atkana’, ‘latkana’ and ‘bhatkana’. Elderly people from this region would tell you how Congress governments used to talk about bringing Narmada water in this parched region, but nothing was done on that front during their rule,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Medha Patkar slams Modi, says BJP targeting her presence in Bharat Jodo Yatra for ‘vote bank politics’

    The prime minister accused the Congress of trying to stall the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam and supporting those who delayed the project through litigations, a veiled reference to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar.

    “Can people of Banaskantha forgive those who indulged in this sin of stopping water from coming here? Congress was responsible for keeping Banaskantha thirsty. They must be punished. I hope you will not forget this during polling,” Modi said.

    “Congress never shows interest in those works where their leaders do not find any opportunity to make money. Since they used to get kickbacks in the relief work wherein people were given the task to dig pits during drought, Congress was not providing water. Because they knew that if water is supplied here, their illegal income will stop,” he alleged.

    According to him, it was the BJP government which brought Narmada water into this parched region and promised that it will reach those areas too which were left behind.

    The PM said his government at the Centre had pumped in nearly Rs 1 lakh crore to finish as many as 99 water supply schemes which were abandoned across the country during Congress rule.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat elections: State govt not filling up 5 lakh posts as most will go to Dalits, STs, OBCs: Kharge

    Without taking names, Modi said those who “looted” poor citizens are now giving him ‘gaalis’ (abuses) for putting an end to corrupt practices, like cancelling nearly four crore fake ration cards.

    “Food grains meant for the poor were diverted somewhere else. If you rob poor people, Modi will take action. And when such people are caught, they start abusing me,” he said.

    He claimed that he was confident of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in Gujarat the way people took part in voting on December 1 under the first phase.

    Before addressing the rally, Modi visited Augarnath temple in Kankrej and offered prayers.

  • Assam CM Himanta emerges as BJP’s poster boy for election campaigns

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: The BJP’s most prominent face from the North East, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged as the party’s new poster boy for election campaigning, capturing eyeballs as its first-star campaigner from the region in faraway Gujarat and Delhi.

    Be it the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, imposition of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), PFI ban, Ram Janmabhoomi temple issue, communal angle to the recent killing of a girl by her live-in partner or the attack on Congress and his bete noire Rahul Gandhi, Sarma has left no stone unturned to push forward assertively the right-wing party’s key agenda in poll-bound Gujarat where the BJP has ruled for the last 27 years, barring a brief period of President’s Rule.

    Sarma, in the eyes of his supporters, of course, comes with the right credentials for the role.

    The passing of the Cattle Protection Act, calling for specific policy measures for slowing down minority population growth, closing down of government Madrasas and turning them into general schools, demolition of madrasas following arrest of teachers with alleged terror links, sealing of the ‘Miya’ (Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam) musuem, among others has brought him to the fore of polarisation politics, according to experts.

    The Chief Minister, however, during his campaign trail has hit back with questions like “does an Owaisi (Asaduddin Owaisi) alone have the right to polarisation. Do the Hindus not have the right to assert their glorious cultural and civilisational heritage? It is the media who term this as polarisation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strived hard to restore our pride in ‘Sanatan Dharma’ which is the soul of our nation”.

    He has also dismissed the title of ‘star campaigner’ stating he is “no star but just an ordinary ‘karyakarta’ (worker) of the party and Gujarat leaders also go to Assam during elections”.

    Campaigning in Gujarat twice within a week, Sarma has focussed his attack on his erstwhile party – the Congress which he left in 2015 to join the BJP, and particularly on Rahul Gandhi who he alleged was more interested in feeding biscuits to his dog than in solving party’s problems.

    In each of his campaign, either in Gujarat or Delhi, he has attacked the Congress for following ”politics of appeasement” for the benefit of a particular community and even went on to refer to Gandhi resembling Saddam Hussain due to the beard he has kept during the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, when asked about Sarma’s continuous attack on the Congress and Rahul, said that he has to ”please his masters for his political survival.

    The BJP resorts to polarisation politics at a time when the youth and people are talking about unemployment and price rise”.

    Political analyst Paresh Malakar pointed out that he highlights issues core to BJP’s communal agenda but added that the comments may also be construed as ”irresponsible”.

    “Apart from the communal angle, Sarma is trying to mislead and provoke,”, Malakar, also the General Secretary of civil society group Assam Nagarik Sabha, told PTI.

    Political analyst Chandan Sarma of Dibrugarh University claimed that it is well-documented that Sarma has been behind the success of BJP in the North East and that his stature is increasing in the national arena, too, as he ”boldly articulates the core BJP agenda on various issues”.

    Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) General Secretary Jagadish Bhuyan told PTI that even after being in power for so many years in Gujarat, “The BJP is not talking about development but engaged in communal polarization. Sarma can go to any extent to instigate people.”

    Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Bora however told PTI that Sarma has been taken to Gujarat not to give speeches but for fund management.

    “The BJP government in the state has looted funds which the party is using for election purpose,” Bora alleged.

    The BJP, however, refutes these allegations with its Rajya Sabha MP Pabitra Margherita asserting the campaigning task recognises Sarma’s ability “to connect with people’s pulse, his practical and viable commitments and its timely implementation which has been noticed not only in the region but also in the rest of the country”.

    Besides, BJP encourages and empowers “new generation politicians and gives space to young leaders working for the nation’s development along with preserving ideological ethos,” Margherita said.

    GUWAHATI: The BJP’s most prominent face from the North East, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged as the party’s new poster boy for election campaigning, capturing eyeballs as its first-star campaigner from the region in faraway Gujarat and Delhi.

    Be it the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, imposition of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), PFI ban, Ram Janmabhoomi temple issue, communal angle to the recent killing of a girl by her live-in partner or the attack on Congress and his bete noire Rahul Gandhi, Sarma has left no stone unturned to push forward assertively the right-wing party’s key agenda in poll-bound Gujarat where the BJP has ruled for the last 27 years, barring a brief period of President’s Rule.

    Sarma, in the eyes of his supporters, of course, comes with the right credentials for the role.

    The passing of the Cattle Protection Act, calling for specific policy measures for slowing down minority population growth, closing down of government Madrasas and turning them into general schools, demolition of madrasas following arrest of teachers with alleged terror links, sealing of the ‘Miya’ (Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam) musuem, among others has brought him to the fore of polarisation politics, according to experts.

    The Chief Minister, however, during his campaign trail has hit back with questions like “does an Owaisi (Asaduddin Owaisi) alone have the right to polarisation. Do the Hindus not have the right to assert their glorious cultural and civilisational heritage? It is the media who term this as polarisation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strived hard to restore our pride in ‘Sanatan Dharma’ which is the soul of our nation”.

    He has also dismissed the title of ‘star campaigner’ stating he is “no star but just an ordinary ‘karyakarta’ (worker) of the party and Gujarat leaders also go to Assam during elections”.

    Campaigning in Gujarat twice within a week, Sarma has focussed his attack on his erstwhile party – the Congress which he left in 2015 to join the BJP, and particularly on Rahul Gandhi who he alleged was more interested in feeding biscuits to his dog than in solving party’s problems.

    In each of his campaign, either in Gujarat or Delhi, he has attacked the Congress for following ”politics of appeasement” for the benefit of a particular community and even went on to refer to Gandhi resembling Saddam Hussain due to the beard he has kept during the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, when asked about Sarma’s continuous attack on the Congress and Rahul, said that he has to ”please his masters for his political survival.

    The BJP resorts to polarisation politics at a time when the youth and people are talking about unemployment and price rise”.

    Political analyst Paresh Malakar pointed out that he highlights issues core to BJP’s communal agenda but added that the comments may also be construed as ”irresponsible”.

    “Apart from the communal angle, Sarma is trying to mislead and provoke,”, Malakar, also the General Secretary of civil society group Assam Nagarik Sabha, told PTI.

    Political analyst Chandan Sarma of Dibrugarh University claimed that it is well-documented that Sarma has been behind the success of BJP in the North East and that his stature is increasing in the national arena, too, as he ”boldly articulates the core BJP agenda on various issues”.

    Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) General Secretary Jagadish Bhuyan told PTI that even after being in power for so many years in Gujarat, “The BJP is not talking about development but engaged in communal polarization. Sarma can go to any extent to instigate people.”

    Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Bora however told PTI that Sarma has been taken to Gujarat not to give speeches but for fund management.

    “The BJP government in the state has looted funds which the party is using for election purpose,” Bora alleged.

    The BJP, however, refutes these allegations with its Rajya Sabha MP Pabitra Margherita asserting the campaigning task recognises Sarma’s ability “to connect with people’s pulse, his practical and viable commitments and its timely implementation which has been noticed not only in the region but also in the rest of the country”.

    Besides, BJP encourages and empowers “new generation politicians and gives space to young leaders working for the nation’s development along with preserving ideological ethos,” Margherita said.

  • CPI(M) wants actor Paresh Rawal prosecuted for ‘hate speech’ at Gujarat rally

    By Online Desk

    KOLKATA: CPI(M) leader Md Salim on Friday said he has lodged a police complaint here against Paresh Rawal, alleging that the veteran actor made utterances during a recent poll rally in Gujarat that tantamounted to hate speech against the Bengali community.

    Salim, in his complaint to Taratola Police Station, said he came across a video on various social media platforms featuring the actor giving a speech, which could promote feelings of hatred against Bengalis.

    The CPI(M) leader said he apprehended that people from Bengal residing in other parts of the country could get affected as a result of Rawal’s comments.

    “Such speech on public domain has been made to provoke riots and destroy harmony between Bengali community and other communities across the country, and cause public mischief,” Salim claimed.

    Paresh Rawal, on Tuesday in Valsad, which voted in the first phase of the Gujarat election yesterday, said the people of Gujarat would tolerate inflation but not “Bangladeshis and Rohingya” next door. “Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?” he asked. “Gujarat people can tolerate inflation but not this … The way they deliver verbal abuses. A person among them needs to wear diaper on his mouth,” he added.

    Rawal, however, apologised for his comments but continued to make prejudiced remarks. He claimed he meant “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya” when he used the word “Bengalis”. “Of course the fish is not the issue as Gujaratis do cook and eat fish. But let me clarify – by Bengali I meant illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya. But still if I have hurt your feelings and sentiments, I do apologise,” he posted.

    Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra wrote: “Actually Kemchho Slapstickman need not have apologised. The second part of Cook Fish like Bengalis is “Have Brains like Bengalis” Most nobel laureates than any other Indian state, buddy boy.”

    of course the fish is not the issue AS GUJARATIS DO COOK AND EAT FISH . BUT LET ME CLARIFY BY BENGALI I MEANT ILLEGAL BANGLA DESHI N ROHINGYA. BUT STILL IF I HAVE HURT YOUR FEELINGS AND SENTIMENTS I DO APOLOGISE. https://t.co/MQZ674wTzq
    — Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) December 2, 2022
    (With PTI inputs)

    KOLKATA: CPI(M) leader Md Salim on Friday said he has lodged a police complaint here against Paresh Rawal, alleging that the veteran actor made utterances during a recent poll rally in Gujarat that tantamounted to hate speech against the Bengali community.

    Salim, in his complaint to Taratola Police Station, said he came across a video on various social media platforms featuring the actor giving a speech, which could promote feelings of hatred against Bengalis.

    The CPI(M) leader said he apprehended that people from Bengal residing in other parts of the country could get affected as a result of Rawal’s comments.

    “Such speech on public domain has been made to provoke riots and destroy harmony between Bengali community and other communities across the country, and cause public mischief,” Salim claimed.

    Paresh Rawal, on Tuesday in Valsad, which voted in the first phase of the Gujarat election yesterday, said the people of Gujarat would tolerate inflation but not “Bangladeshis and Rohingya” next door. “Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?” he asked. “Gujarat people can tolerate inflation but not this … The way they deliver verbal abuses. A person among them needs to wear diaper on his mouth,” he added.

    Rawal, however, apologised for his comments but continued to make prejudiced remarks. He claimed he meant “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya” when he used the word “Bengalis”. “Of course the fish is not the issue as Gujaratis do cook and eat fish. But let me clarify – by Bengali I meant illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya. But still if I have hurt your feelings and sentiments, I do apologise,” he posted.

    Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra wrote: “Actually Kemchho Slapstickman need not have apologised. The second part of Cook Fish like Bengalis is “Have Brains like Bengalis” Most nobel laureates than any other Indian state, buddy boy.”

    of course the fish is not the issue AS GUJARATIS DO COOK AND EAT FISH . BUT LET ME CLARIFY BY BENGALI I MEANT ILLEGAL BANGLA DESHI N ROHINGYA. BUT STILL IF I HAVE HURT YOUR FEELINGS AND SENTIMENTS I DO APOLOGISE. https://t.co/MQZ674wTzq
    — Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) December 2, 2022
    (With PTI inputs)

  • Congress said ‘Garibi Hatao’ but poverty actually increased under its rule: PM Modi

    Due to the previous Congress-led government's policies, poor citizens could not play an active role in the economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

  • First phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 seats tomorrow: All you need to know

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Voting will be held on Thursday for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 seats spread across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state where 788 candidates are in the fray. Campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.

    Voting will be held between 8 am and 5 pm on Thursday across 14,382 polling stations, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in a release.

    Out of the total 4,91,35,400 registered voters in Gujarat, 2,39,76,670 are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of the elections.

    These include 5.74 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19 years, and 4,945 above the age of 99 years, the office of the state CEO said.

    Out of the 89 seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP won 48 in the 2017 election, the Congress had won 40, while one seat was bagged by an independent candidate.

    Who are contesting?

    Apart from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 36 other political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) have also fielded candidates in various seats which will go to polls in the first phase.

    The BJP and Congress are contesting in all the 89 seats.
    The new poll entrant AAP is contesting 88 seats. Its candidate from Surat East constituency had withdrawn his candidature, leaving the party with one less seat to contest in the first phase
    The BSP has fielded 57 candidates, BTP 14 and CPI-M four candidates.
    As many as 339 independents are also in the fray in the first phase of polls.
    Out of the total 788 candidates, 70 are women including nine fielded by the BJP, six by the Congress and five by the AAP.

    ALSO READ | How scrapped project can hurt BJP in Gujarat tribal seats

    Who are some of the prominent candidates?

    AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi is contesting from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Saurashtra region that goes to polls on Thursday.

    AAP state unit president Gopal Italia is contesting from Katargam in Surat.

    Among other prominent candidates in the first phase are Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, who is contesting from Jamnagar (North), and BJP MLAs Harsh Sanghavi and Purnesh Modi from different seats in Surat and five-time MLA Parshottam Solanki from Bhavnagar (Rural).

    Sitting Congress MLAs like Lalit Kagathara, Lalit Vasoya, Rutvik Makwana and Mohammad Javed Pirzada are among the candidates in fray in the first phase from seats in Saurashtra region.

    Seven-time MLA and veteran tribal leader Chhotu Vasava is contesting from Jhagadia in Bharuch.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat elections 2022: Morbi, Porbandar, Anand… here are 25 seats to watch out for

    Which are the key regions to look out for?

    With 54 seats, the Saurashtra-Kutch region will be crucial for the Congress as it seeks to better its performance.

    In the region, the Congress won 30 seats in 2017 compared to 16 in the 2012 election. The BJP, on the other hand, was reduced to 23 seats in 2017 as against 35 won by it in the previous election.

    In south Gujarat, the Congress in 2017 bettered its tally to 10 compared to six in the previous polls, while the BJPs tally dropped to 25 in the last election from 28 earlier.

    South Gujarat also comprises Surat city with 12 seats which have remained the BJP’s bastion since a long time.

    The BJP has this time found a challenger in the AAP which has fielded some of its senior state leaders from Surat and hopes to win seven-eight seats in the city, as declared by its national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

    Gujarat AAP’s state president Gopal Italia is the candidate from Katargam, general secretary Manoj Sorathiya from Karanj and Patidar community leader Alpesh Kathiriya from Varachha Road in Surat.

    ALSO READ | Trust in the KHAP: How caste equations are at the heart of the 2022 Gujarat elections  

    Who were the campaigners?

    The BJP, Congress and AAP leaders held roadshows and addressed public rallies as part of their high-pitched campaign in the run-up to the elections.

    The ruling party’s campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Pramod Sawant (Goa), and a number of Union ministers and state leaders.

    For the AAP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejiwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann were the most frequent campaigners.

    Apart from them, Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sosidoa and AAP’s Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh also campaigned in Gujarat.

    The Congress banked on its local leaders for campaigning apart from Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, who held some rallies in the last few days before the first phase of elections.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held two rallies in the state this month by taking out time from his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    READ HERE | Bridge collapse to Bilkis Bano convicts’ remission: Top issues in Gujarat Assembly elections

    How will the polling process be carried out?

    Voting will be held across 14,382 polling stations, of which 3,311 are in the urban and 11,071 in rural areas, the poll body said in a release.

    The election body has set up 89 ‘model polling stations’, as many stations run by differently-abled people, 89 eco-friendly polling stations and 611 run by women.

    There are also 18 polling stations run by the youth, it said.

    A total 34,324 ballot units, an equal number of control units, and 38,749 Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will be used for the election in the first phase, the release said.

    A total of 2,20,288 trained officers and employees will be on duty for the smooth conduct of the election process, it said.

    In the first phase, 27,978 presiding officers and 78,985 polling officers will be on duty, it said.

    ALSO READ | Battleground Gujarat: All eyes on AAP in three-way poll contest in bipolar state politics

    AHMEDABAD: Voting will be held on Thursday for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 seats spread across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state where 788 candidates are in the fray. Campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.

    Voting will be held between 8 am and 5 pm on Thursday across 14,382 polling stations, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in a release.

    Out of the total 4,91,35,400 registered voters in Gujarat, 2,39,76,670 are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of the elections.

    These include 5.74 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19 years, and 4,945 above the age of 99 years, the office of the state CEO said.

    Out of the 89 seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP won 48 in the 2017 election, the Congress had won 40, while one seat was bagged by an independent candidate.

    Who are contesting?

    Apart from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 36 other political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) have also fielded candidates in various seats which will go to polls in the first phase.

    The BJP and Congress are contesting in all the 89 seats.
    The new poll entrant AAP is contesting 88 seats. Its candidate from Surat East constituency had withdrawn his candidature, leaving the party with one less seat to contest in the first phase
    The BSP has fielded 57 candidates, BTP 14 and CPI-M four candidates.
    As many as 339 independents are also in the fray in the first phase of polls.
    Out of the total 788 candidates, 70 are women including nine fielded by the BJP, six by the Congress and five by the AAP.

    ALSO READ | How scrapped project can hurt BJP in Gujarat tribal seats

    Who are some of the prominent candidates?

    AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi is contesting from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Saurashtra region that goes to polls on Thursday.

    AAP state unit president Gopal Italia is contesting from Katargam in Surat.

    Among other prominent candidates in the first phase are Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, who is contesting from Jamnagar (North), and BJP MLAs Harsh Sanghavi and Purnesh Modi from different seats in Surat and five-time MLA Parshottam Solanki from Bhavnagar (Rural).

    Sitting Congress MLAs like Lalit Kagathara, Lalit Vasoya, Rutvik Makwana and Mohammad Javed Pirzada are among the candidates in fray in the first phase from seats in Saurashtra region.

    Seven-time MLA and veteran tribal leader Chhotu Vasava is contesting from Jhagadia in Bharuch.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat elections 2022: Morbi, Porbandar, Anand… here are 25 seats to watch out for

    Which are the key regions to look out for?

    With 54 seats, the Saurashtra-Kutch region will be crucial for the Congress as it seeks to better its performance.

    In the region, the Congress won 30 seats in 2017 compared to 16 in the 2012 election. The BJP, on the other hand, was reduced to 23 seats in 2017 as against 35 won by it in the previous election.

    In south Gujarat, the Congress in 2017 bettered its tally to 10 compared to six in the previous polls, while the BJPs tally dropped to 25 in the last election from 28 earlier.

    South Gujarat also comprises Surat city with 12 seats which have remained the BJP’s bastion since a long time.

    The BJP has this time found a challenger in the AAP which has fielded some of its senior state leaders from Surat and hopes to win seven-eight seats in the city, as declared by its national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

    Gujarat AAP’s state president Gopal Italia is the candidate from Katargam, general secretary Manoj Sorathiya from Karanj and Patidar community leader Alpesh Kathiriya from Varachha Road in Surat.

    ALSO READ | Trust in the KHAP: How caste equations are at the heart of the 2022 Gujarat elections  

    Who were the campaigners?

    The BJP, Congress and AAP leaders held roadshows and addressed public rallies as part of their high-pitched campaign in the run-up to the elections.

    The ruling party’s campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Pramod Sawant (Goa), and a number of Union ministers and state leaders.

    For the AAP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejiwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann were the most frequent campaigners.

    Apart from them, Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sosidoa and AAP’s Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh also campaigned in Gujarat.

    The Congress banked on its local leaders for campaigning apart from Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, who held some rallies in the last few days before the first phase of elections.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held two rallies in the state this month by taking out time from his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    READ HERE | Bridge collapse to Bilkis Bano convicts’ remission: Top issues in Gujarat Assembly elections

    How will the polling process be carried out?

    Voting will be held across 14,382 polling stations, of which 3,311 are in the urban and 11,071 in rural areas, the poll body said in a release.

    The election body has set up 89 ‘model polling stations’, as many stations run by differently-abled people, 89 eco-friendly polling stations and 611 run by women.

    There are also 18 polling stations run by the youth, it said.

    A total 34,324 ballot units, an equal number of control units, and 38,749 Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will be used for the election in the first phase, the release said.

    A total of 2,20,288 trained officers and employees will be on duty for the smooth conduct of the election process, it said.

    In the first phase, 27,978 presiding officers and 78,985 polling officers will be on duty, it said.

    ALSO READ | Battleground Gujarat: All eyes on AAP in three-way poll contest in bipolar state politics

  • Gujarat polls: Time to rebuild Mahatma Gandhi’s land by ending BJP’s misrule, says Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday slammed the BJP for its 27 years of “misrule” in Gujarat and said it is time to rebuild Mahatma Gandhi’s land.

    Calling upon the people to reject the BJP in the upcoming assembly polls, Kharge attacked the ruling party over inflation and unemployment while alleging that it has “betrayed” farmers.

    Gandhi, on the other hand, hit out at the state government over reported deaths due to spurious liquor in Junagarh.

    “In ‘dry state’ Gujarat, people died again yesterday due to spurious liquor! On one hand, there is a show-off liquor ban, on the other people are dying due to poisonous liquor and drugs. Instead of employment, the government is giving poison. This is the BJP’s ‘Gujarat model’! The land of Gandhi-Sardar has been inebriated,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    ALSO READ | ‘Are you 100-headed like Ravan’: Mallikarjun Kharge asks PM Modi

    With the tweet, he used the hashtag ‘#RejectBJP’ to urge people not to vote for the party.

    There were media reports about two deaths in Gujarat’s Junagarh due to spurious liquor.

    In July, 42 people lost their lives in Gujarat’s Botad district after consuming hooch.

    Hitting out at the BJP in Gujarat, Kharge asked, “Why is every section of Gujarat — youth, farmers, women, small businessmen, Dalits, tribals, and the backward classes — are suffering.” Gujarat demands answers and accountability for the last 27 years of BJP rule, the Congress national president said.

    He alleged that the income of the people of Gujarat is less than the national average and also claimed that due to the BJP, seven crore Gujaratis have a debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

    “The CAG has warned that Gujarat is getting trapped in a debt cycle. The BJP has given nothing but economic burden and social hatred to the people of Gujarat,” Kharge said.

    READ HERE | Cong backed perpetrators of violence; BJP established permanent peace in Gujarat post ’02: Amit Shah

    “Now is the time for a change! To root out the BJP’s 27-year misrule in Gujarat! The time has come to rebuild the Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Morarji Desai, Balwantrai Mehta and Chimanbhai Patel! The Congress will come, will bring happiness to the people of Gujarat,” he said in a series of tweets.

    Kharge also alleged that Gujarat suffered badly during the Covid period.

    There is a huge shortage of health workers with 90 per cent of posts in community health centres vacant.

    Privatization initiated by the BJP is making healthcare unbearable for lakhs of people of Gujarat, he claimed.

    Claiming that Dalits and Tribals in Gujarat are exploited Kharge accused the BJP of “protecting criminals”.

    The Una incident, in which Dalits were publicly beaten up under the protection of the administration, shook the conscience of every Indian.

    Tribals were not given rights and Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) was not implemented, he alleged.

    ALSO READ | Congress sacrificed two prime ministers in terror fight: Kharge counters PM Modi

    “Demonetisation, wrong GST and lack of help during the Corona period have broken the back of every section of Gujarat. People’s life has become difficult due to the constant tremors of inflation. GST has been imposed on flour, pulses, milk, pencils, medicines and from treatment. Betrayed farmers of Gujarat, MSP hike was low. Modi Ji had promised the farmers of the country that he will give cost plus 50 per cent MSP. This turned out to be the biggest betrayal of the farmers. The farmers of Gujarat are also fed up with the rising prices of fertilizers, diesel, GST, electricity and inputs,” the Congress leader said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

    Gujarat elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the results will be out on December 8.

    The Congress is vying to oust the BJP which has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years.

    NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday slammed the BJP for its 27 years of “misrule” in Gujarat and said it is time to rebuild Mahatma Gandhi’s land.

    Calling upon the people to reject the BJP in the upcoming assembly polls, Kharge attacked the ruling party over inflation and unemployment while alleging that it has “betrayed” farmers.

    Gandhi, on the other hand, hit out at the state government over reported deaths due to spurious liquor in Junagarh.

    “In ‘dry state’ Gujarat, people died again yesterday due to spurious liquor! On one hand, there is a show-off liquor ban, on the other people are dying due to poisonous liquor and drugs. Instead of employment, the government is giving poison. This is the BJP’s ‘Gujarat model’! The land of Gandhi-Sardar has been inebriated,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    ALSO READ | ‘Are you 100-headed like Ravan’: Mallikarjun Kharge asks PM Modi

    With the tweet, he used the hashtag ‘#RejectBJP’ to urge people not to vote for the party.

    There were media reports about two deaths in Gujarat’s Junagarh due to spurious liquor.

    In July, 42 people lost their lives in Gujarat’s Botad district after consuming hooch.

    Hitting out at the BJP in Gujarat, Kharge asked, “Why is every section of Gujarat — youth, farmers, women, small businessmen, Dalits, tribals, and the backward classes — are suffering.” Gujarat demands answers and accountability for the last 27 years of BJP rule, the Congress national president said.

    He alleged that the income of the people of Gujarat is less than the national average and also claimed that due to the BJP, seven crore Gujaratis have a debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

    “The CAG has warned that Gujarat is getting trapped in a debt cycle. The BJP has given nothing but economic burden and social hatred to the people of Gujarat,” Kharge said.

    READ HERE | Cong backed perpetrators of violence; BJP established permanent peace in Gujarat post ’02: Amit Shah

    “Now is the time for a change! To root out the BJP’s 27-year misrule in Gujarat! The time has come to rebuild the Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Morarji Desai, Balwantrai Mehta and Chimanbhai Patel! The Congress will come, will bring happiness to the people of Gujarat,” he said in a series of tweets.

    Kharge also alleged that Gujarat suffered badly during the Covid period.

    There is a huge shortage of health workers with 90 per cent of posts in community health centres vacant.

    Privatization initiated by the BJP is making healthcare unbearable for lakhs of people of Gujarat, he claimed.

    Claiming that Dalits and Tribals in Gujarat are exploited Kharge accused the BJP of “protecting criminals”.

    The Una incident, in which Dalits were publicly beaten up under the protection of the administration, shook the conscience of every Indian.

    Tribals were not given rights and Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) was not implemented, he alleged.

    ALSO READ | Congress sacrificed two prime ministers in terror fight: Kharge counters PM Modi

    “Demonetisation, wrong GST and lack of help during the Corona period have broken the back of every section of Gujarat. People’s life has become difficult due to the constant tremors of inflation. GST has been imposed on flour, pulses, milk, pencils, medicines and from treatment. Betrayed farmers of Gujarat, MSP hike was low. Modi Ji had promised the farmers of the country that he will give cost plus 50 per cent MSP. This turned out to be the biggest betrayal of the farmers. The farmers of Gujarat are also fed up with the rising prices of fertilizers, diesel, GST, electricity and inputs,” the Congress leader said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

    Gujarat elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the results will be out on December 8.

    The Congress is vying to oust the BJP which has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years.