Congress anti-Gujarat, anti-development : Narendra Modi in Gujarat

Addressing a series of rallies, the first being in Morbi, Modi  alleged that the  former UPA government was anti-Gujarat.

"I have only talked about Narmada but there are several other issues that will illustrate how anti-Gujarat the UPA government was."

"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 wellbeing of Gujarat," he  said.

"For us, what matters is the well-being of people. Even when we were not in power we were with the people of Morbi and serving society," PM Modi said at the Morbi rally.

Insisting that it was the BJP which has always stood for the state's development and the well-being of its people, Modi said decades ago when late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi came to Morbi, she found the city stinking and had to cover up her nose.

"When Indira Ben ( Indira Gandhi) came to Morbi,I remember there was a photo of her in  Chitralekha Magazine with a hanky over her nose due to the foul smell, but for Jansangh or the RSS, the streets of Morbi are fragrant,it's the fragrance of humanity," he said.

Attacking the Congress, which is trying hard to make a dent in the BJP citadel,  Modi said, "For Congress, 'development' was giving hand pumps. For BJP, it is SAUNI Yojana and large pipelines that carry Narmada waters. We also focussed on check dams."

"In Gujarat we initiated a mass movement to conserve every drop of water. This is because we understand the adverse impact of lack of water. Development for us is not about winning polls, it is about serving every citizen," he further said.

Modi referred to the water shortage problem which once plagued Gujarat and said things transformed only because of the initiative of the BJP and the Governments run by it.

"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."

, PM Modi reiterated that Congress is anti-poor. "They have looted lots from the people already. I am here to give every penny back to the poor, which they looted all these years," he said.

Referring to the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's barbs on GST, Modi said, "It is natural for those who have looted all their lives to remember only dacoits. Under their grand stupid thoughts they want basic necessities of the poor to be taxed at 18 per cent. At the same time they want cigarettes & alcohol to be cheaper. What logic is this?"

He also  accused former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being anti-Narmada. "We have served this region. I fought for the Narmada against the government of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh, which was anti-Narmada. All this was done for our farmers, the people of Gujarat."