On Madhya Pradesh campaign trail, it was Modi-Rahul face-off

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‘Congress does not have niti, niyat, neta’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a string of statements attacking the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi during his campaign in Madhya Pradesh. “The Congress does not have niti (policy), niyat (intent) and neta (leader in MP) and its leader (Rahul) is confused. Will you hand over power to such people?” he asked.

He also criticised the party for bringing in gaushala and gau mutra in its manifesto “as it worships the cow in Madhya Pradesh but allowing its leaders to eat beef in Kerala”. “You bring cow in your manifesto in MP. I don’t criticise you for doing it. I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s their right but the question is are the Congress units in MP and Kerala different? Don’t both come under the same naamdar who sits in Delhi? The Congress is controlled by the same family,’ PM Modi said during a rally in Chhindwara.

Separately, during a rally in Shahdol, the Prime Minister hit out at the party for constantly raising demonetisation. “Even an old man who loses his son recovers in a year. Imagine how much they must have lost that they are still finding it difficult to recover after two years (of demonetisation),” Modi said. It was during this rally that he apologised to the inconvenience caused by demonetisation.

“Only the Congress and one family are still crying because what they had pilfered for four generations was lost in one go,” he added.

‘Chowkidar chor hai’

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, raised issues from demonetisation to the Rafale deal in his speeches in Madhya Pradesh. He targeted the Prime Minister for “betraying” the people and coined the slogan “chowkidar chor hai (the watchman is a thief)”

“Earlier when Modi said ‘achhe din’, people responded with ‘aayenge’ (BJP’s 2014 election slogan). But now they respond to ‘chowkidar’ with ‘chor hai’ wherever you go,” Gandhi said. “I want to apologise — chowkidars are not thieves, they are honest. (But) one man has defamed you — the PM.”

“Modi said he would become the ‘chowkidar’ (of people) but he did not tell the people whose ‘chowkidar’ he would be? He became the chowkidar of Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya,” Gandhi added.

On another occasion, he said, “If we wanted two Hindustans we would have hoisted two flags at Independence, one of 15-20 industrialists and one of the common man. We want one country and we want justice.”

On demonetisation, he said, “Modiji has betrayed the people on the issue of providing jobs to two crore people every year and depositing Rs 15 lakh cash into their accounts by bringing (back) black money stashed abroad,” Gandhi said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses an election rally in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh on November 23, 2018. (PTI Photo)

‘BJP is unsettled and worried’

In an interview to The Indian Express, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is leading the Congress’ campaign in the state, expressed confidence that the party would form the government in the state as the BJP is “unsettled and worried”. “That means we are on the right track,” he added.

“As they say, some people can be fooled all the time… but not all the people all the time. I think the BJP will be beaten at their own game by the people of Madhya Pradesh,” Scindia said.

In response to the BJP’s slogan ‘Maaf karo Maharaj, hamara neta to Shivraj (Pardon us Maharaj, our leader is Shivraj)’, Scindia said, “If there’s one Maharaj in Madhya Pradesh it’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan.”

‘Congress thirsty for my blood’

Incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is recontesting the polls from Budhni constituency. While campaigning, Chouhan had accused the Congress of engineering an attack on his vehicle, saying the party it “thirsty for my blood”.

“Congress mere khoon ki pyaasi ho gayi hai (Congress has become thirsty for my blood),” Chouhan said, after stones were allegedly hurled at his vehicle.

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‘Will soon be difficult to find Congress even with binoculars’

Amit Shah’s most memorable statement in Madhya Pradesh has been this: “The Congress’s condition is that it would (soon) be difficult to find them even with the help of binoculars.”

Calling Rahul Gandhi a “Shaikh Chilli” (a simpleton), the BJP president added that he should “stop daydreaming” about forming a government in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has taken root. He had said this while addressing a convention in Shivpuri, during which he also raised the issue of “illegal infiltrators” in India who “took away jobs of our youths”.