'Development will trump dynasty'

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lashed out at the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, accusing it of disliking Gujarat and Gujaratis who were an "eyesore" for them.

Invoking tall leaders from the poll-bound state like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai, the Prime Minister accused the "Congress and the family" of slighting them.

He also alleged a "conspiracy" was hatched by the Congress to put him in jail, in an apparent reference to accusations of his complicity in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Accusing the main opposition party of pursuing "negative politics", Modi dared the Congress to fight the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls on the development plank.

He also targeted the Congress over the resignation of party leader Madhavsinh Solanki, who as the foreign minister was alleged to have sent a letter to his then Swiss counterpart to scuttle the Bofors scandal probe.

"They forced Solanki to resign. the party can go to any extent to save the family," he said.

The rally was held to mark the conclusion of the saffron party's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' (march for Gujarat's honour) ahead of the high-octane electoral battle for the state where the BJP holds sway.

"You did not waste any opportunity to strike. When I was the chief minister and you were in power at the Centre, you hatched a conspiracy to put me in jail. You knew that it was not possible until Amit Shah (BJP chief) was put behind bars, you did that.

Referring to Congress leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi being on bail in the National Herald case, Modi said,"The whole party is on bail".

He also dared the Congress to contest the polls on the development plank.

"I had expected them to fight this election on the issue of development, but they are not doing that. Now they have decided to belittle Gujarat's development," he said referring to the Congress' online campaign 'Vikas (development) has gone crazy', which targets the Gujarat model of development.

Rahul Gandhi has, during his frequent trips to the state, criticised the Gujarat model of development.

"This election is a fight between 'vikasvaad' and "vanshvaad"; development politics will triumph over family rule."

Congress, he alleged, always avoided contesting elections with a focus on development.

"Every time there is an election, it would raise the issue of communalism, spread the poison of casteism. They never have the courage to contest a poll on the concrete issue of development," he said.

The PM's remark came against the backdrop of the agitation by the influential Patel community for reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.

Modi said "negative" politics was responsible for the current condition of the Congress, which once ruled all over the country and gave so many prime ministers from one family.

"The Congress's only agenda is to save one family," he said.

The PM called the Congress "an equal partner" in decisions about the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"I want to tell my friends that Congress is an equal partner in GST decisions. They should not spread lies on GST," he said.

The PM assured the people that his government was "actively striving to remove any issues with the GST."