Sonia cannot see what is visible to open eyes: Jaitley

Ahmedabad, Dec 9: Criticising Congress president

over her remark that the BJP government's claims about development in

were "hollow and false", Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitely said signs of growth are clearly visible in the state.

"What is visible to open eyes is not visible to her," Jaitely said on development in the state. "During her earlier visit to the state, the Congress president had said that development in the state is not only due to BJP, but earlier, Congress government had also contributed to it," the BJP leader said yesterday.

"Now this time she has completely changed her stand by saying that development is not visible here," he added.

He was replying to Gandhi's allegations that the BJP government's claims about development were nowhere to be seen in the state and its promises were "hollow and false".

"The development, which was promised in a big way is nowhere to be seen in this tribal land...because what they promised is hollow and false," Gandhi had said on Dec 7 while addressing a poll rally in Mandvi, Surat district.

The Congress chief had said, "They (Modi and BJP) have no interest in the poor and common people and are only interested in their own development and that of a select few."

Jaitley said, "In 2002 and 2007 the Congress had run a personalised campaign against Modi, but his time they appear to be in two minds on their campaign. For a decade their strategy was different. But Modi is a reality here."

Describing Congress' campaign as a "crippled one", Jaitley said this was the first political campaign he had seen in which brand ambassadors of any party are propagating about everything from manifesto to programme and that no photo of the party leaders was visible anywhere.

"Leaders of the party are the face of political campaigns, but here (in case of Congress), everything is being run by brand ambassadors," Jaitley said.

Replying to a question on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to campaign in the state just two days ahead of first phase of poll, Jaitley said, "It is the prerogative of that party as to who should be sent as a tail-ender".

PTI