Congress president Sonia Gandhi today took the battle for Gujarat straight into the Prime Minister’s camp, stating that Narendra Modi’s government had given Gujarat only ‘‘barbadi (destruction) but ‘‘still the Prime Minister is satisfied.’’A day after Atal Behari Vajpayee took a dig or two at Modi during his campaign speech at Jamnagar and Vadodara, Gandhi told a 30,000-strong crowd at Rajkot that ‘‘they talk of rajdharm, but talking about rajdharm and following it are two different things.’’ At an earlier rally at Mehsana, she told a large gathering that ‘‘you know who is responsible for backwardness and the plight of women and farmers in Gujarat. And yet, the prime minister is happy with Gujarat.’’In another broadside against Vajpayee, Gandhi warned the BJP against criticising Indira Gandhi for her handling of Pakistan. ‘‘Pakistan ko muhtod jawab kisne diya tha, prime minister ne (Vajpayee) ya Indira Gandhi ne (Who had given Pakistan a fitting reply, the prime minister or Indira Gandhi)?’’Visibly angry at a ‘‘senior BJP leader’’ for pointing fingers at Indira Gandhi, the AICC president, without naming him, said Indira Gandhi had laid down her life for the country and equated the allegation of mishandling with ‘‘kayarta aur paap’’ (cowardice and sin).The Prime Minister couldn’t blame the Congress for the water crisis in the state, Gandhi added. Referring to the project of linking all rivers, she said: ‘‘They may be taking pride in this project now, but the homework was done by Rajivji.’’The BJP had ‘‘ripped Gujarat’s social fabric’’ in the name of religion, she said at Rajkot. ‘‘These people don’t know what dharma (religion) is all about. It’s up to you to decide: vinash (destruction) or vikas (development).’’ Vowing to get Gujarat’s Gaurav back, she said, ‘‘This Government has destroyed the pride of the State. It’s difficult to find peace and harmony but the Congress will restore the pride of Gujarat.’’‘‘A Government which has eaten money of the common man can’t do anything for the betterment of the State,’’ Gandhi added, in a clear reference to the co-operative bank bust-up. Terrorism and Pakistan could not be election issues in Gujarat, she said. ‘‘The BJP had in the last election made many promises, but has failed to keep all of them. Now it’s talking about terrorism and Pakistan’’.In Vandeli in the Panchmahals, Gandhi told a crowd of 40,000 tribals not to get swayed by politicians. ‘‘After four days, the future of Gujarat for the next five years will be in your hands. It’ll decide not only the fate of your region but that of the entire state,’’ she said.
