Rahul Gandhi fires salvos at BJP from Modi-Shah bastion

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday entered north Gujarat, the bastion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and began his campaign with a visit to the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar.

Not only do the hometowns of both Mr Modi and Mr Shah fall in this region, but the Akshardham temple belongs to the Swaminarayan sect which has a large, devoted following among the Patel.

The Congress is desperately trying to woo the Patels, along with the OBCs, in the coming polls.

Mr Gandhi offered prayers to Lord Swaminarayan at the temple and began his three-day tour which will cover six districts.

Mr Gandhi is scheduled to cover areas in 19 Assembly constituencies spread across Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Banaskantha, Patan and Mehsana where Patidars and the OBCs wield great influence.

The BJP was quick to criticise Mr Gandhi’s visit to the temple and rushed Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan to campaign in the state’s OBC-dominated areas.

Criticising his temple visits, Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel asked why Mr Gandhi has decided to visit temples ahead of elections.

“People know their intention — that they want to get votes by such gimmicks. They have no devotion as during Rahul Gandhi’s earlier trip he never visited any temple. We wish that Congress sheds its pseudo-secularism and respects mainstream Hindutva. Their gimmicks to get votes will not work in Gujarat,” Mr Patel said.

Hitting back, Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said people will teach the BJP a lesson as it is opposing visits to temples. “Rahul Gandhiji has visited Jain temple and gurudwaras apart from Hindu temples. We believe in secularism,” he said. Mr Gandhi began his election campaign in Gujarat in September with a visit to the renowned Dwarkadheesh temple.

In the evening on Saturday, Mr Gandhi visited the famous Ambaji temple in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. Before visiting the temple, he addressed a public meeting on the rights of tribals at Khedbrahmma where he attacked the incumbent government for failing to provide employment and chided Mr Modi for his silence on Jay Shah.

Mr Paswan, who has been fielded by the BJP to counter Mr Gandhi, participated in the party’s ongoing door-to-door campaign to seek votes.

With nearly seven per cent dalit voters and 13 reserved constituencies for the community in the state, saffron poll managers are trying to pull out all the stops to woo dalits. Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani has already said that he will support the Congress in these elections.

The ruling BJP had faced major criticism and dalit ire after the Una flogging incident last year and, perhaps for the first time in many years, saffron poll managers were forced to consider the dalit vote bank seriously.  Other dalit leaders of the BJP, including Thawarchand Gehlot, have also been campaigning in the state.