Gujarat CM Rupani files nomination, says Congress has outsourced election to three activists

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who filed his nomination for the next month's polls, today attacked the Congress, saying the opposition party has "outsourced" itself to three prominent activists in the state as it has "nothing" of its own.

With the "son of Gujarat" Narendra Modi helming the central government, the state will scale new heights under the BJP, he said at a gathering here, adding "we will have to ensure that our pride is not hurt". The BJP leader, accompanied by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, filed his nomination from Rajkot (West) Assembly seat at 12:39 pm, described as "vijay muhurat" (auspicious time) by party leaders. Rupani is the sitting MLA from the constituency where voting will be held in the first phase on December 9.

Rajkot BJP president Kamlesh Mirani and cooperative sector leader Jyotindrabhai Mehta along with a group of supporters accompanied Rupani to the office of the district election officer, where he submitted his papers.

Before filing his nomination, Rupani addressed the gathering where he slammed the Congress, saying the party is relying on three activists to save itself in the BJP-ruled state. The chief minister did not name anybody, but he was apparently referring to caste and community leaders Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani.

"The Congress is outsourcing as it has nothing of its own. Three people have come out to save the Congress, such is the condition of the party. The Congress is broken, and a Congress-mukt India means an India free of poverty, corruption and joblessness," he told the gathering. He said if the BJP wins 150-plus seats in Gujarat, the state will achieve new peak in growth with the help from the central government.

"We will have to ensure that our pride is not hurt, and our development is stabilised. The Congress did injustice to Gujarat during 10 years of the UPA rule. Now, in Delhi, a son of Gujarat, Narendrabhai, has given a lot to Gujarat.

"Under a BJP government with 150-plus seats, Gujarat will achieve new heights of development with the help of the central government," he said.

Jaitley said the BJP has emerged as a symbol of "development and stability," while the Congress represented "anarchy".

"The BJP has emerged as a symbol of development and stability. In more than two decades of its rule in Gujarat, the party brought progress and development, and the state was put on the (investment) map of the country and the world," Jaitley told reporters. He said the upcoming election is a battle between "growth and anarchy".

"The forces against us in this election are working to divide the state, its people and they symbolise anarchy. So this election is between stability, growth and progress represented by the BJP, and anarchy symbolised by the other side," the Union minister said. He expressed confidence that the BJP will emerge victorious with a "huge" majority. The election to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will take place in two phases -- December 9 and 14 -- and votes will be counted on December 18.