Gujarat polls: Narendra Modi wary of Congress’s campaign

Ahmedabad, Aug 20: Opposition Congress in Gujarat is carrying out an aggressive and sustained campaign ahead of the state assembly polls, taking up issues affecting people and connecting with the masses by organising various yatras and agitations, which has for the first time put the ruling BJP on the defensive.

Even Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has never bothered to react to statements and promises of state Congress leaders in the run up to Dec 2012 elections, has had to respond to some of its poll promises.

"Earlier, state leaders of Congress, instead of doing any ground work, used to depend more on virtual campaign through advertisements and press statements and held the hope that charisma of their central leadership will sail them through," a Congress leader said.

But this time there is a planned meticulous campaign in which state level leaders have actually gone to the people of Gujarat and tried to connect with a large number of people through various yatras and stirs and have taken up real issues affecting them, he said.

"The Congress campaign had started a year ahead of the scheduled date of polls. Our focus of campaign is arrogance of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi versus democratic values," Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

"We have held a sustained campaign against the issues concerning people, which the present government has failed to tackle like unemployment, corruption, benefits of development not reaching poor and lower middle class and insensitivity of those in power towards problem of the common man," Doshi said.

Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhvadia, election campaign committee chief Shankarsinh Vaghela and leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil have not only focused on building of organisational strengths, but in tandem have targeted right areas and sections of the society for the campaign of the party, he said.

PTI