Cong rides to Ambaji in Audis,Volkswagens

The purpose of the rally,according to Congress leaders,was to send a message to the people in villages and towns about the alleged “corrupt” government of the BJP and appeal them to vote in favour of the Congress to make the state free from “fear,hunger and corruption”.

A rough estimate pegs the total fuel cost for the rally over Rs 6 lakh. Asked to comment,party spokesperson Manish Doshi said the party did not bear the expenses. “While the BJP used government vehicles and allegedly forced businessmen and traders to give their vehicles for free for transporting people to the BJP rally,Congress workers brought their own vehicles and themselves bore the entire expenditure.”

Addressing the rally at Palanpur in Banaskantha district,state Congress leaders appealed the people to throw out the BJP government in the state in the next Assembly elections and promised to remove the entire Banaskantha district from the “dark zone” and abolish metered power supply for agriculture if voted to power.

Trying to strike an emotional chord with the local farmers many of whom had to face action from the state electricity department for violating the “dark zone” rules in the past few years,former chief minister and chairman of party’s election campaign committee Shankersinh Vaghela promised that his party’s government would also abolish meters for power supply for agriculture purpose and instead charge at a flat rate of Rs 400 per horse power in a year.

But Vaghela said the people could get these benefits only if they throw out the BJP government entrenched in the state for the last 17 years. All the nine Assembly seats in the district have BJP MLAs.

Vaghela expressed apprehensions that Chief Minister Narendra Modi would advance the Assembly elections and not wait for December 2012.

State Congress president Arjun Modhwadia promised to abolish VAT (value added tax) from fertiliser in the state.

Stating that his party was committed to removing “fear,poverty and corruption” after it came to power,Modhwadia said the North Gujarat region,including Banaskantha,was also not given Narmada water for irrigation despite the district being incorporated in the dark zone where lifting of underground water for irrigation was prohibited.

Stating that 3,30,000 hectares of “gauchar”(grazing) land had so far been allotted to industrialists by the Modi government,Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil said it was a very serious matter since farmers in Banaskantha and several other districts depended on animal husbandry and milk production for their livelihood.