Election campaign in Gujarat appears to have begun at least one year before the state Assembly polls. While Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela predicted chief minister Narendra Modi will advance the polls and hold it in the first week of June, the BJP is once again playing the “Gujarat pride” card by intensifying the campaign against the Centre.
The Gujarat Congress has made corruption an issue against the Modi government.
It plans to put the Modi government in the dock by launching a campaign from Wednesday. It will begin from Kutch, Mr Vaghela said on Sunday.
The Gujarat elections are fought on national and international issues ever since Mr Modi became chief minister but the Congress’ strategy is to build up the campaign on local issues and thus expose him.
Mr Modi had earlier polarised the campaign by saying that Pakistan would celebrate Diwali if he (the BJP) gets defeated.
He also coined the campaign of “Hum paanch, hamare pacchhis” and “Miyan Musharraf”.
In the last election, he gave a political spin to the Congress’ campaign theme, “Maut Ka Saudagar.”
This time he is building up the campaign against the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, and these tactics help him to project a national leader.
On Sunday, he accused the Congress of conspiring to dislodge his government through Raj Bhavan. “In 2004, just 24 hours after the UPA government came to power, the Congress had said that Modi should pack up as Centre will invoke President’s Rule here. Since then they are conspiring to remove my government,” Mr Modi alleged at a rally in the state.
“If you walk along with Gujarat, you too would get fame, but if you try and obstruct us we would pass over your chest and move forward, nothing can stop us.”