Rahul Gandhi's Gujarat Visit Dramatic And Laughable, Will Benefit Us: BJP

The BJP today termed as "dramatic and laughable" the Gujarat visit of Rahul Gandhi, saying his campaign in the poll-bound state will boomerang on the Congress and ensure another victory for the ruling party.

Mr Gandhi began his three-day tour of Gujarat by attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on notes ban, GST and the 'Gujarat model' of development while exuding confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly polls.

Launching a counter offensive, the BJP said Mr Gandhi's visit would herald the defeat of his party.

"The Congress has lost elections wherever Rahul Gandhi had campaigned for the party. Under his leadership that party has lost 28 elections," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said in a release.

Talking to journalists on his arrival in Jamnagar for a road show, the Congress vice president earlier said people are regretting having voted for the BJP.

He also said there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.

Taking a dig at Mr Gandhi's statement that people want change and that the Congress will come to power in PM Modi's home state, Mr Pandya said, "Gandhi's visit this time, like his previous three visits, is dramatic as well as laughable...It will only benefit the BJP".

Mr Pandya said Mr Gandhi had been hurling "baseless" allegations against the Prime Minister who is a "popular action leader".

He said Mr Gandhi kept "mum" on the "injustice" meted out to people of Gujarat when the Congress was at the helm of affairs at the Centre.

"Why Rahul Gandhi doesn't reply to the injustice meted out to people of Gujarat when the Congress was ruling the Centre? Why did Congress oppose the Narmada Dam project which deprived farmers and women (in dry regions of the state) of water?" he asked.

Mr Pandya accused the Congress of harbouring a "bias" against two top leaders from Gujarat-Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai.

"The Congress delayed conferring Bharat Ratna on Patel by over four decades whereas it unceremoniously removed Desai from the post of prime minister," the BJP leader said.

Claiming that no member of the Gandhi family ever visited the famous Somnath temple in the state, Mr Pandya said even the Congress vice president preferred to launch his tour by offering prayers at Lord Krishna temple in Dwarka.

The Somnath temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Patel had envisioned the temple's reconstruction which was completed in the 1950s.