Sounding the BJP’s poll bugle in Gujarat while taking the Congress head-on, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he might have sold tea to earn a living, but never sold his nation.
He also alleged the party to be anti-poor, adding that its leaders have always treated him with contempt because of his humble background.
“The Congress dislikes me because of my poor origin. Can a party stoop so low? Yes, a person belonging to a poor family has become the prime minister. They do not fail to hide their contempt for this fact. Yes, I sold tea but I did not sell the nation,” said PM Modi will addressing a rally in Gujarat’s Rajkot.
Modi, who started his high voltage campaign with rallies in Bhuj in Kutch district, Jasdan in Rajkot, Chalala in Amreli and Kadodara near Surat, took on the opposition Congress on issues related to China, Lashkar-e-Taiba's Hafiz Saeed, the surgical strike as well as corruption.
Also Read: Gujarat elections: ‘I sold tea but did not sell the nation’, PM Modi’s take on Congress’ meme jibe
PM Modi asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi why his party applauded the release of a terrorist in Pakistan and why he hugged the Chinese ambassador during the Dokalam standoff.
"You are happy to hug Chinese ambassador, you are clapping on the release of Hafiz Saeed, you cannot respect Indian Army's surgical strike. But why did you speak up about it? You could have just remained silent," he said.
Gandhi had recently tweeted: "Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani. Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed."
The tweet had come after the release of LeT founder and 26/11 mastermind Saeed by a Pakistan court.
Hitting out at the Congress over a recent meme targeting his "chaiwala" past, the prime minister said in Jasdan that he is being targeted by the main opposition party because of his humble background and for being born to a "poor mother".
Also Read: Gujarat polls: PM Modi says he has no stains in his public life, people will not forgive Congress for baseless allegations on a 'son of soil'
"They are feeling uneasy because a chaiwala became the PM. We used to read in books how the downtrodden get harassed by those in higher strata. But I never imagined they would stoop so low," Modi said in his speech in Gujarati at Jasdan ahead of the first round of polling on December 9.
He said he gets messages from people threatening him that they would once again turn him into a tea-seller.
"I want to tell them that I am Modi, who is ready to sell tea but will never commit the sin of selling the entire country," he said, in an apparent reference to scams during the Congress-led UPA rule.
"Why are you mocking poverty? Why are you insulting a poor mother?" he asked.
In an apparent bid to woo the influential Patidars, who seem to be drifting towards the opposition party, Modi said the Congress "harassed" four former chief ministers of the community because of a "grudge" against Gujarat.
Babubhai Jashbhai Patel, Chimanbhai Patel, Keshubhai Patel and Anandiben Patel belonged to the Patidar community.
Without directly accusing the Congress of fanning the protests, Modi said the opposition had done everything to "disturb" the BJP's Anandiben Patel-led government.
"They fanned violence to disturb her. This Congress party harassed four Patidar CMs just because the people of Gujarat never accepted the party."
Also Read: Gujarat polls: Congress celebrating Hafiz Saeed's release, says PM Modi
At the Bhuj rally, Modi pitched the election as a fight between trust on development and dynastic politics.
He asked the people of Gujarat not to forgive Congress leaders as they had levelled baseless allegations on the "son of Gujarat" who has a stainless public life.
During his campaign in the state in the last few days, Gandhi had trained his guns at the Modi-led government over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.
He also alleged during his campaign that Modi is not a "chowkidar" (watchman) but a bhagidar (partner) in "corrupt" practices in BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's company.
Modi said he had written a poem, saying that Gujarat is his 'atma' (soul), while Bharat is his 'parmatma' (God), that Gujarat is his mother and he her son.
"I have grown up on this soil, you Gujaratis know my plus and minus points, what was good in me has evolved due to this `mitti' (soil) due to my mother (Gujarat)," he said, seeking to emotionally connect with voters.
The prime minister said Gujaratis will not forgive those attacking its child.
Recalling Sardar Patel, he said the Congress should understand that Gujarat tolerated insults when atrocities were committed against him but the times had changed and they would not do so again.
Modi said many people have come here for election campaigning and "sprayed muck".
"Farmers prepare their land before the start of the monsoon season. In the same way, much muck has been sprayed here. It is good as it will help the lotus (BJP's election symbol) bloom."
Modi referred to the 26/11 terror strike and the attack in Uri and asked what the difference was between one government and another, one leader and another.
"They killed our soldiers in Uri, our soldiers went inside their territory, conducted a surgical strike and came back. The next day a newspaper said they (in Pakistan) carried bodies in trucks," he said.
Modi alleged that the Congress raised questions on the surgical strike in September 2016.
"They could not respect Indian Army, they asked questions like none of our soldiers was injured? None of them died? Have you any photo or video evidence? Had they gone to shoot a movie in Pakistan?" he said.
The second phase of elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held on December 14. The votes will be counted on December 18.
