Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address three rallies in election-bound Gujarat’s Patan, Nadiad and Ahmedabad on Monday, where polling is scheduled for the second phase on December 14, while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address four rallies in Tharad, Viramgam, Savli and Gandhinagar.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah will also address four rallies in Saigam in Banaskantha district, Enclave and Barsad in Anand and Dabhoi in Vadodara.
On Sunday, addressing a rally in northern Gujarat’s Palanpur, Modi alleged that Pakistan was meddling in the elections to the state assembly. He also questioned some senior Congress leaders’ recent meeting with Pakistan officials, including the country’s high commissioner to India.
The Congress denied the charges and asked Modi’s government to repatriate Pakistan’s top diplomat in the country if he was indeed meddling in an Indian election.
Here are the LIVE updates:
1:14pm: Narendra Modi is scared of Amit Shah, says Rahul Gandhi
1:12pm: After demonetisation, Modiji introduced GST- Gabbar Singh Tax
1:10pm: After demonetisation, Modi said he will add Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s bank account. People did not even get 15 paise
1:08pm: During demonetisation, all of you had to stand in endless queues – did you see anyone in suit and boot standing in a queue?
1:05pm: Modji will invest Rs 33,000 cr in Tata Nano plant but not on your education, says Rahul Gandhi
1:00pm: BJP’s vikas yatra has flopped, says Rahul Gandhi
12:59pm: Rahul Gandhi says elections are in Gujarat and Modiji is talking about Japan, Pakistan and Afghanistan
12:55pm: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses a rally in Banaskantha
12.49pm: Why did (Congress’) Anand Sharma make a wrong statement denying that the meeting took place? Now who should apologise?
12.48pm: Completely abhor outside interference in India’s internal affairs. Pakistan’s promotion of terrorism in India is well known but Pakistan must stop giving us lessons, we are proud of our democracy. Condemn this unwarranted statement, says Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
12:40pm: The Congress party is fighting this election on issues of development that concern Gujarat. And in round one, our party has already won. This has scared Modi into spewing lies and ill-thought accusations against the former prime minister: Sharma.
12:39pm: “We will win somewhere between 45-50 seats in the first phase,” says Congress leader Sharma.
12:35pm: “Ex-Pakistan foreign minister was here to attend a wedding, there was a dinner organised for him in which there were former diplomats and former army chief among other dignitaries. Does the PM think they were all conspiring with Pakistan? It is reprehensible.Modi must apologise,” says Anand Sharma.
12:32pm: The PM should restore the dignity of political discourse, withdraw what he said and apologise to the former prime minister. It is clear that he said this to mislead the people during the time of elections: Sharma.
12:31pm: Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha questions Modi for spinning “unsubstantiated and unbelievable” stories against political opponents.
12:30pm: It is the prime minister who is doing grave injustice to this nation by ignoring developmental issues, says Congress leader Sharma.
12:29pm: Congress leader Anand Sharma asks, “Why isn’t the PM speaking of economy, employment and the farmer crisis? What is the BJP’s agenda in Gujarat?”
12:28pm: “Modi has said Congress is conspiring with Pakistan for Gujarat elections.It is outrageous and just an attempt to polarise ahead of second phase of voting.This also shows Modi’s desperation and that BJP’s loss is now guaranteed,” says Congress leader Anand Sharma.
12:26pm: “The PM chose to ignore the progress and developmental issues and stooped to mere ‘tu-tu, main-main’ (rhetoric) in his own home-state,” the Shiv Sena says.
12:25pm: The Shiv Sena accuses Modi of resorting to “histrionics” and pulling the ongoing poll campaign for the Gujarat elections to “a new low”.
12:05pm: “I am getting a very good response from the people and I am very confident,” Hardik Patel tells ANI during Ahmedabad motorcycle rally.
11:45am: Pakistan says India’s politicians should not drag the country into its domestic politics during campaigning for the Gujarat assembly polls.
11:38am: Hardik Patel supporters take out a motorcycle rally in Ahmedabad: ANI.
11:25am:
Will address rallies in Patan, Nadiad and Ahmedabad today. @BJP4Gujarat
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2017
11:15am: BJP leader S Prakash, in Bengaluru, says instead of focusing their attention on development, the Congress is trying to evoke Gujarat riots to win over the Muslim votes: ANI.
11:05am: “This is a shameful statement by the Congress. They apologised for their deeds in 1984 anti-sikh riots and now they are creating a baseless controversy. The truth is only those people who have committed mistakes apologise, but those who have not done anything wrong why they will serve an apology,” BJP leader Bizay Sonkar Shastri tells ANI.
11:00am: Hitting out at Congress for asking Modi to “apologise in Jama Masjid” for the 2002 riots, the BJP says those who commit mistakes only they serve an apology.
10:00am: Request by BJP and Congress for Modi and Rahul Gandhi’s roadshows, respectively, on Tuesday turned down by police due to security, law and order reasons and to avoid public inconvenience, police commissioner Anup Kumar Singh tells ANI.
*The first phase of the Gujarat elections ended on Saturday; 89 seats went to the polls. The second phase, for 93 seats is on December 14 and campaigning ends on December 12.
*The BJP has governed Gujarat for 22 years. The Congress is hoping to unset the BJP by tapping angst over the agrarian crisis and the implementation of the goods and services tax, and on the strength of a coalition it has built with Patidars, some other backward classes, and Dalits.
*Analysts expect it to be a close fight, although the BJP has maintained that it is confident of bettering its tally of 119 seats in the 182-member assembly in 2012.
(With agency inputs)
HT
