Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi to hold rallies in Gujarat today

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be addressing election rallies in Gujarat on Wednesday and Thursday (November 29-30), his seventh visit to the poll-bound state of Gujarat. He will start his two-day visit by visiting the Somnath Temple and a campaign rally in Saurashtra. Mr Gandhi’s visit is being seen as a move to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies on November 27.

During his rally, Mr Modi had charged the Congress of not being able to come to terms with the fact that he hails from a humble background.

On Wednesday, the Congress vice-president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be simultaneously campaigning for the upcoming Assembly election. Modi will be in south Gujarat.

The Prime Minister will address his first rally in Morbi, which was badly affected due to floods that had ravaged the state earlier this year. Later, Mr Modi will address rallies in Prachi in Junagadh district, Palitana in Bhavnagar and Navsari in Surat, considered as a strong hold of the ruling BJP.

On the second day of campaigning, Rahul will commence his rallies with a public meeting in Lathi. He is also expected to visit the cities of Dhasa, Gadhada, Barvala and Vallabhipur.

Responding to Mr Modi, former finance minister P. Chidambaram said, “Mr Modi’s campaign is about himself, his past and the alleged disdain of Gujarat and Gujaratis. Has he forgotten he is Prime Minister of India? The Gujarat election is not about Mr Modi, the individual. It is about the promised achhe din that has not come in 42 months.”

During his current trip, Rahul is expected to sharpen his attacks against the Prime Minister. In the high-octane campaign during his recent rallied, the Gandhi scion had charged the BJP governments — both at the Centre and the state — of making policies that only benefit “a few of his industrial friends”, ignoring the plight of small traders, farmers and fishermen.

Addressing the fishermen community during his earlier visit, Mr Gandhi had promised to setup a ministry for the welfare of fishermen if the Congress was voted to power at the centre.

Polling for the two-phase elections in the state, which has a total of 182 seats, will take place on December 9 and 14.