Modi reaches out to Gujarat farmers

Holding his first public rally in poll-bound Guja-rat after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi on Tuesday reached out to farmers from the heartland of the restive Patel community after launching an irrigation project.

Mr Modi also launched a veiled attack on the Congress after inaugurating the first phase of the ambitious Saurashtra Na-rmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) project here, saying that polls can be won by dangling baits and “throwing pieces” but a country can’t be run by doing so.

Targeting the Congress which had questioned the timing of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Mr Modi said his government does not believe in “throwing pieces” to attract voters.

“You can win polls by throwing pieces, but you cannot run a country by doing so. We do not beli-eve in throwing pieces. We worked hard for almost 15 years for this project to bring transformation and development,” the Prime Minister told a huge gathering at Sanosara village in Jamnagar district in the Patel-dominated Saurashtra region.

Water is a politically sensitive issue in Gujarat, which the BJP plans to cash in before the 2017 Assembly polls to revive its fortunes, specially at the time when it is facing challenges like the Patel quota agitation and dalit uprising.

The Congress has termed the inauguration of Sauni scheme at this juncture by the Prime Minister as an attempt to give a message to voters ahead of the polls.

In his address, Mr Modi stressed on conserving water and remembered his days as Gujarat chief minister when people did not understand his vision.

“After I became Gujarat’s CM for the first time (in 2001), I used to tell farmers that instead of fighting against the government... However, I fai-led to make them understand for almost 2-3 years,” he added.