‘BJP is trust’: PM Modi slams Oppn as Gujarat enters final leg of elections

Gujarat elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held his second roadshow in two days in Ahmedabad, as he appealed to voters to re-elect the BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held his second roadshow in two days in Ahmedabad, as he appealed to voters to re-elect the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and addressed four rallies where he accused the Congress of corruption, in a mega campaign push in the final days of the assembly elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at supporters during his election campaign in Ahmedabad on Friday. (PTI)

PM Modi held a 10km-long roadshow as he greeted local residents and also offered prayers at Maa Bhadrakali temple in Ahmedabad.

“Unparalleled affection, which strengthens my resolve to serve the people even more!” he tweeted later in the day, as he shared glimpses of his roadshow.

Modi said Friday was his last day of campaign for the second phase of polling in Gujarat.

“I will be addressing three more rallies. After the last rally in Ahmedabad, I will leave for New Delhi tonight where you have sent me,” he said in Kankrej. He also visited Shri Ogadnathji temple in Kankrej before his public rally on Friday. He addressed four rallies in Kankrej, Patan, Anand, and Ahmedabad.

In Kankrej, he said the then-PM would send one rupee, but only 15 paise reached intended beneficiaries in the village. “E kayo haath hato je 85 paise ne ghasi leto hato (which palm was it that used to rub away 85 paise)?” he asked, referring to a statement by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. The Congress’s election symbol is an open palm.

Addressing a rally at Nathpura village in Kankrej, Modi said the Congress has already accepted defeat. “Do you know what the reason is? Because they complained about faulty electronic voting machines. Whenever Congress leaders complain about faulty EVMs, it means they have accepted the defeat,” he said. The first phase of polling was completed on Thursday in 89 seats. The second phase in 93 seats will be done on December 5, with the results out on December 8.

The BJP is aiming for its seventh straight assembly election victory while the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are looking to leverage anti-incumbency in the state’s first triangular electoral contest in three decades.

“BJP is trust and trust is BJP. If you have a good car and an experienced driver, but one of the tyres are punctured, will you be able to reach your destination? The same is with the BJP and the Gujarat election. If you want to protect the prosperity of Gujarat, then you have to vote for the BJP,” he said in Kankrej.

Modi said women will play a key role in making Gujarat the most-developed state in the next 25 years. “We have girls from Gujarat in the Indian Army and they are protecting the country holding guns on our borders,” he said. In Patan, Modi remembered his childhood. “As a kid, I haven’t forgotten the agitations by the people for the Patan-Bhildi railway line and the Modasa-Kapadvanj railway line. Congress’s government did not give heed to the agitations. When your son sat in Delhi, he was aware of the problems in Patan. Today, Patan is connected by a railway network with Jodhpur. We know the importance of connectivity than the Congress government” he said.

Modi has led the BJP campaign from the front, addressing over 25 public gatherings since the election dates were announced on November 3, according to a BJP functionary.

Union home minister Amit Shah also addressed a rally in Mehsana’s Bechraji.

“Since the past eight years, just like he did in Gujarat, the Prime Minister is taking the nation on a path of development. Similar to Gujarat, he’s taking steps to make the country safe and peaceful,” he said.

Hitting back, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said: “I would request PM Modi to stop misquoting late former PM Rajiv Gandhi. He was a visionary of the 21st century India and introduced internet, telecommunications and computers. Today, out of 10 IT professionals abroad, seven are Indians. You made schemes and projects that exist only on papers. Your government gave the contract for renovating the Morbi bridge that killed 135 innocent people.”