Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday exuded confidence that his party was forming the government in Gujarat.
Addressing fisherfolk in the coastal city of Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, he told the audience that a Congress government would be a government wherein the doors of the Assembly and the chief minister's office would be open for them.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme, Gandhi said that his party would be speaking 'your (the people's) mann ki baat.' The government will function the way you say, he declared.
Noting that two sons of Gujarat—Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel—had driven the British out of the country, Gandhi asked the masses to understand their strength. “Gujarat is what it is because of your blood and sweat,” he said.
The Congress vice president again took up the issue of subsidy given to the Nano project of the Tata group. Gandhi said that on one hand, the government took away a subsidy of Rs 300 crore on diesel, and on the other hand, it gave Rs 33,000 crore for the Nano project. “Do you see any Nanos on the roads?” he asked, with the crowd responding with a resounding no. “Has the Nano project given you employment?” he asked, and the crowd said no again.
He accused Modi of helping five industrialists. Gandhi also claimed that the industrialists in turn did marketing for Modi. “Who pays for the advertisements that you see? These industrialists pay,” he said.
Before addressing the fisherfolk, Gandhi paid a visit to the place where Mahatma Gandhi was born at Porbandar, Kirti Mandir.
Later in the day, Gandhi would visit the Dalit Shakti Kendra in Sanand near Ahmedabad, where he is expected to accept one of the largest flags prepared by dalits.
He is also expected to address doctors and later in the evening, he would address a public meeting in Nikol, Ahmedabad.
Gandhi is on a two-day visit to the state.
