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Journalism of Courage
Addressing a public rally in Surendranagar, which votes on December 1 in the two-phase Gujarat Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lashed out at the Congress again over Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra and asked voters to punish “Narmada protesters”.
“This time too, neither Modi nor Bhupendra (CM Bhupendrabhai Patel) are contesting the elections but it is Gujarat’s people, Gujarat’s mothers and sisters. Today in Surendranagar district, it is natural to remember Maa Narmada. I would visit Surendranagar for the Narmada Yojana several times as Surendranagar district would benefit the most. But think about those who have been removed from pad (position) by Indians. Such people are doing a yatra for pad (position) now,” the PM said.
“In democracy they can do a yatra for pad, but those who kept Gujarat thirsty, those who stopped Maa Narmada from entering Gujarat, stalled the project for 40 years with court cases, with such Narmada protesters, walking with their hand on their shoulders and doing a padyatra, Gujarat people will punish you,” Modi said at Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district.
On November 20 too, speaking at Dhoraji in Rajkot district, Modi targeted the Opposition party and hit out at its MP Rahul Gandhi for marching with Patkar in the Yatra.
Modi said that for Surendranagar, the district that had longed for water, where tanker mafias were flourishing in collusion with the government, where photos of Surendranagar people in dire need of water would be published in newspapers, this election “should be to punish Narmada protesters”.
The ruling BJP has been critical of Patkar’s campaign against the Sardar Sarovar Dam, which was inaugurated in 2017 even as she spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Aandolan.
Modi accused the Congress of calling him names instead of talking about development.
“Shouldn’t development be talked about in the elections? Who did how much work? Did water and electricity reach or not? We are ready to give hisab but the Congress knows that if it raises this issue, the BJP will counter as the party has a tremendous record of work completed. So they do not talk about development. The Congress says Modi ko uski aukat dikha denge. Look at their ahankar (ego). You all are from royal families but I am from a normal family. I have no aukat. I am a sevak and sevadaar; sevak and sevadaar have no aukat. You called me neechi jati, neechpan. You called me maut ka saudagar, gandi nali ka keeda. You called me all and now you have come to show me my aukat. I have no aukat and please talk about development and come in the contest to make Gujarat a developed Gujarat and leave ‘showing aukat’ games,” the prime minister tore into the Congress.
Modi said he had another wish to be fulfilled in this election: every polling booth should record 100 per cent voting and the BJP should not be left behind even in a single booth.
The votes will be counted on December 8.
