{"id":32994,"date":"2017-11-29T18:32:37","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/?p=32994"},"modified":"2017-11-29T18:34:27","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:04:27","slug":"guj-polls-war-of-words-escalates-modi-says-rahul-propagating-grand-stupid-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/politics\/guj-polls-war-of-words-escalates-modi-says-rahul-propagating-grand-stupid-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"Guj polls: War of words escalates, Modi says Rahul propagating Grand Stupid Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel join Gujarat poll campaign trail<\/em><\/p>\n

Civility in political discourse, especially during poll campaigns had never been the strong point of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose vociferous albeit vitriolic attacks against the Congress party\u2019s first family, have earned him a position of pride among his followers and BJP sympathizers. As Modi rejoined the BJP\u2019s poll campaign in his poll-bound home state of Gujarat\u00a0on Wednesday<\/span>, the Prime Minister made his familiar attacks against the Nehru-Gandhi family, reserving the most crude jibes for heir-apparent, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amid reports that his rallies across Gujarat have been attracting fewer than usual crowds, with empty seats becoming a hitherto unthinkable fixture at his public meetings, Modi has perhaps decided to return to the basics while appealing to his followers to once again bring the BJP to power in Gujarat \u2013 a state that the saffron party has ruled for 22 consecutive years.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday<\/span>, as Modi hit the campaign trail in Morbi, situated in the state\u2019s Saurashtra region, he shed the baggage of civility that burdens the shoulders of a Prime Minister and took on his previous avatar \u2013 that of the shrill BJP campaigner and political street-fighter.<\/p>\n

What else would explain the semantics that he employed to hit out at Rahul Gandhi when he claimed that the Nehru-Gandhi scion was propagating a \u201cgrand stupid thought\u201d by suggesting that GST rate be capped at 18 per cent? Modi\u2019s comment was an obvious riposte to the sarcastic dig that Rahul Gandhi has been taking at the Goods and Services Tax regime rolled out by the Centre earlier this year \u2013 calling it the \u201cGabbar Singh Tax\u201d while referring to the many complications and confusions that common citizens have been facing in filing their tax returns over the past five months.<\/p>\n

With Rahul campaigning across the state at the same time as him, Modi made it a point to hit out at the Nehru-Gandhi scion who, by December 5, is likely to take over as Congress president from his mother Sonia Gandhi. But the attacks against the Congress, India\u2019s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his family, weren\u2019t missing for Modi\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n

Criticising Rahul\u2019s visit to the state\u2019s famous Somnath Temple earlier in the day, Modi said Jawaharlal Nehru had expressed displeasure over re-building the place of worship which in medieval times had been plundered and ransacked by Muslim invaders from Central Asia.[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]The Prime Minister Narendra Modi <\/a>credited the restoration and re-construction of Somnath Temple to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel \u2013 a Congress leader, country\u2019s first home minister and a Gujarati who Modi and his BJP have been desperately trying to co-opt. \u201cIf there was no Sardar Patel, the temple in Somnath would never have been possible. Today, some people are remembering Somanth, I have to ask them: \u2018Have you forgotten your history\u2019? Your family members, our first prime minister, were not happy with the idea of a temple being built there,\u201d Modi said during his election rally in Prachi.<\/p>\n

During his rally in Morbi, where he attacked Rahul Gandhi for propagating a \u201cgrand stupid thought\u201d \u2013 not exactly the language one expects from India\u2019s Prime Minister \u2013 Modi sought to demolish Rahul\u2019s \u2018Gabbar Singh Tax\u2019 swipe by saying: \u201cThose who have looted people throughout their life, they can only remember dacoits.\u201d Gabbar Singh was the name of the iconic villain from the Bollywood blockbuster \u201cSholay\u201d.<\/p>\n

Pandit Nehru\u2019s daughter, Rahul\u2019s grandmother and India\u2019s first woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was also not spared in Modi\u2019s broadside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when Indiraben<\/em>\u00a0had come here, Chitralekha (a local language magazine) had printed her photo with a handkerchief over her nose, trying to avoid the stench\u201d, Modi told voters in Morbi \u2013 a town dominated by the Patidar community, a section of which has been revolting against the BJP under Hardik Patel\u2019s leadership. Modi declared that for his party, it\u2019s earlier avatar \u2013 the Jan Sangh \u2013 and the RSS \u201cthe street of Morbi are fragrant\u201d. Some charm offensive![\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Incidentally, Hardik Patel \u2013 the face of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti \u2013 was also in Morbi\u00a0on Wednesday<\/span>, campaigning among members of his Patidar community and urging them to vote against the BJP.<\/p>\n

With voices of discontent coming from another crucial vote-bank in Gujarat \u2013 the OBC voters\u2013 against the BJP, Modi made sure to also reach out to the community while trying to paint the Congress as their villain.[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]\u201cI want to assure you, Congress may try to put roadblocks\u2026 I am committed to ensure their designs fail. Parliament is meeting soon and we are going to bring that issue (Bill for constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Castes) on the floor of the House again. We want to give our OBC communities their due,\u201d Modi declared.<\/p>\n

Narendra Modi is not known for being defensive during his poll campaigns \u2013 or even otherwise. But given the content of his speeches in poll-bound Gujarat, it is no surprise that his party colleague and senior MP Shatrughan Sinh feels that the BJP is showing \u201csigns of panic and desperation\u201d in Gujarat.[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"