Gujarat elections 2017: Modi accuses Congress of inaction over OROP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed his rally in Prachi of Gujarat. He will be addressing four rallies in poll-bound Gujarat today, where assembly elections will be held on December 9 and 14.

Addressing another rally in Prachi, Modi said,''This is my second day of campaigning. I have traveled to Saurashtra and South Gujarat. The enthusiasm is remarkable. I can see so many women who have come to bless us.''

Taking a jibe at Congress Modi said,''If there was no Sardar Patel, the temple in Somnath would never have been possible. Today some people are remembering Somanth, I have to ask them- have you forgotten your history? Your family members, our first PM was not happy with the idea of a temple being built there. When Dr. Rajendra Prasad was to come to inaugurate the Somnath Temple, Pandit Nehru expressed his displeasure. Sardar Patel dreamt about the Narmada but your family did not let that dream fulfill.''

Modi also said,''Congress is seeking votes of OBC communities but they should answer why they did not allow OBC Commission to get Constitutional Status for all these years. We brought in the move, it was passed by Lok Sabha but stalled in the Rajya Sabha, where Congress has majority.''

Two days after alleging that Congress targeted him for being a tea-seller, PM Narendra Modi stressed the ruling BJP worked for poor. "There is a Government in Delhi that is for the poor. It is working continuously for the poor," he said.

''I want to ask the Congress. What is it that you have against our army? The demand for OROP was pending for forty long years. Why did successive Congress governments do nothing about that?, asks PM Modi. ''When elections were approaching, they announced a meagre Rs. 500 crore for OROP when the real requirement was a lot higher. This was misleading of the highest order,'' he said.

At Morbi rally, PM Modi's dig at Indira Gandhi:

Addressing Modi said,''I spent one full month working with those affected by the flood. There were many families where all the members were tied in the disaster.''

''In happiness and sorrow, I have had a good relation with Morbi,'' Modi said. ''There is no corner in Gujarat where we have not worked for the people. Gujarat model has worked in Morbi, we have turned adversity to opportunity.'' the prime minister said.

''For us, what matters is the wellbeing of people. Even when we were not in power we were with the people of Morbi and serving society,'' said Modi in Gujarat.

Attacking the Congress, which is trying hard to gain ground in the poll-bound state, PM Modi said, "Congress' vision of development for remote areas in Gujarat is a hand pump... The BJP's vision, on the other hand, was starting the grand Narmada project which you all are aware of."

Insisting that the BJP has been instrumental in addressing the water shortage issue in the region during its tenure, Modi said, "Through the SAUNI Yojana, we built huge pipelines. Dams in Saurashtra are being filled due to SAUNI Yojana. But, I do not think the Congress can see all this."

"We worked to improve the water situation but we did not stop there. BJP government brought in soil health card which has proven extremely beneficial for the farmers."

''When you vote, vote for development only. The people of Gujarat have one of their own sitting in Delhi, who is always working for the well-being of Gujarat," he continued.''

"When Indira Ben came to Morbi, I remember there was a photo of her in Chitralekha Magazine with a hanky over her nose due to the foul smells, but for Jansangh/RSS, the streets of Morbi are fragrant, it is the fragrance of humanity," he said.

The Prime Minister began his campaign in Morbi. He will then address a rally in Prachi, which is near Somnath. PM Modi will then head to Palitana in Bhavnagar and also address a rally at Navsari in south Gujarat.

The polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having total 182 assembly seats, will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.

While 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region will go to polls in the first phase, the election in the remaining 93 constituencies in central and northern regions will be held in the second phase.

OneIndia News