Gujarat polls: Key takeaways from Modi's first public rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first election speech in poll-bound Gujarat was more about the Congress and Rahul Gandhi and less about the state itself. And that he even referred to the 2001 earthquake in Kutch clearly indicates that the party remembers nothing from the recent past to kick off the poll campaign with gusto. After all, it is the PM's home state. Expectations were high. But if the PM's speech has any bearing on the rest of the campaign, chances of Gujarat getting better treatment from the Centre than other states are lean — what with Congress-shaming being the soul of it.

Surprisingly, these are the issues on Modi’s mind as his state goes to the polls in two weeks' time:

Congress and dynasty politics (again)

"On one side there is Vikas (development) and Vishwas (trust) while on the other side there is Vanshwad (dynasty). Gujarat will never forgive the Congress Party and this has been the case for long. Congress has never liked Gujarat, has always preferred to see it lag behind," Modi said, like he has numerous times before.

Rahul Gandhi and Doklam 

Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with a Chinese envoy during the standoff at Doklam, Modi said Congress disrespected the Army by not trusting them. He also accused the Congress of celebrating the release of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

“A Pakistani court released a Pakistani terrorist and the Congress is celebration. I was surprised why. And this same Congress refused to believe our own Army on surgical strikes and preferred to believe the Chinese Ambassador.”

Comparison between 26/11 and Uri attacks

A day after the ninth anniversary of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Modi compared it with the attack at Uri on security forces. He said the way India responded to both attacks explains the difference between Congress and BJP governments.

Demonetisation, GST and Congress

Attacking Congress for its vacillating stand on GST, PM Modi said the party agreed to the GST at all-party meetings. “Congress is unhappy about demonetisation. They keep attacking me but I want to tell them... I have grown up in the same land as Sardar Patel. I will ensure that the poor get their due. We will not allow this nation to be looted,” he said, speaking about demonetisation.

People who lack four 'Ns'

These four Ns are neeti (policy), niyat (intention), neta (leader) and naata (connection). “There are some people who love spreading negativity and pessimism. My appeal to them is to stop doing that,” he said.

In another jibe, he also equated the Congress with the AAP as he said, “A new party came up in Delhi, whose style is to keep abusing and running away. I thought the Congress being an older party would not indulge in such politics but they have also taken this short cut in the past two months and only hurled abuses and lies.”

Bhuj earthquake and Narmada

Crediting the people of Kutch for rebuilding the district from the debris of the 2001 earthquake, he said, “When big earthquakes take place people say see this building fell, but in Kutch people say this school, this hospital, these buildings were made after the earthquake. All this was done on war footing by the army of Kutch which consists of its people.” 

And then he finally mentioned the Sardar Sarovar Dam, but also as a veiled attack on the Congress. “Officers did not want to get posted to Kutch region as the water here was black in colour. Congress did not allow Narmada water to come to Kutch region. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big difference,” he said.

Also read: Why the violence in Islamabad has a resonance in India's Panchkula