Even as the “Vikas Gando Thayo Che” (development has gone berserk) campaign, critical of the BJP's claims of development in Gujarat, continues to be a hit on social media, the ruling party has come out with a central poll theme of its own—“Hun Vikas Chu, Hun Chu Gujarat” (I am development, I am Gujarat).
The campaign will also be the central theme of party's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, which was symbolically flagged of by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday.
The yatra, which will commence on October 1 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth place at Karamsad in Central Gujarat, will cover 4,657 kilometers under 149 assembly constituencies. The yatra will culminate in capital Gandhinagar in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah.
Gujarat goes to polls by the year end for 182 assembly seats and if sources are to be believed the voting is likely to take place in the first half of December in two phases. The BJP has set itself a target to win 150 seats.
This is BJP's second Gaurav Yatra in the state. The first one was taken out by Modi in 2002 when he was the chief minister. The same year had witnessed one of the worst communal riots in the history of Gujarat in which over 1,000 people, mostly belonging to the minority community, lost their lives. The riots had broken out after 57 people, mostly kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, were burnt alive onboard S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002. Contrary to expectations, the BJP won the elections held by the end of the year..
The Gujarat BJP's campaign to tackle the “anti-development” campaign has several videos that would be played on various television channels and other platforms.
However, BJP state president Jitubhai Vaghani denied that their campaign was to counter “Vikas Gando Thayo Che” campaign. Vaghani said that this was a campaign to showcase what the party has done in Gujarat during the last several years. He also said that the party did not require to respond to “false campaigns”.
While BJP will have to make do with Modi only on the last day of the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will be part of the yatra every day. The yatra is being launched from two places. Rupani will be in each of the two routes on every alternate day.
'Development has gone berserk' campaign is alleged to have been launched by supporters of agitating Patidars in Gujarat. People in the ruling party also fear that it is supported by the Congress. The opposition Congress, however, has denied publicly that it was behind the campaign.
During his recent visit to Gujarat, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had also made a sarcastic comment during his poll campaign. “What has happened to Vikas (development) in Gujarat,” he had asked and people had replied “gando thayo che” (it has gone berserk).
