Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the “corrupt” Congress of being concerned with only “preserving its dynasty” and challenged the party to fight elections on the issue of development.
“Communalism, casteism, dynastic rule, misleading the people — these are the instruments which Congress uses to win elections. They don’t have it in them to win on the issue of development.
“I challenge them to fight on the issue of development and stop misleading people,” Modi said addressing a massive party workers rally here.
“The party of which the leading family is corrupt, what kind of welfare can be expected of it,” he said.
“This election is a duel between development and dynastic rule. Development is going to win and dynastic rule is going to lose,” he added.
He demanded to know why, if the Congress was doing well, 25 percent of its MLAs left the party before the elections.
PM Modi said the Congress, jealous of the people of Gujarat, had always treated the state like a “thorn” in its side.
“Gujarat has always been treated like a thorn by the Gandhi family and their party. History is witness to what they did to Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai,” he accused.
He also blamed the party of corruption, calling it a ‘zamanati’ party, or ‘one out on bail.’ This he said in a obvious reference to Sonia annd Rahul being out on bail in National Herald case.
The PM said that the Congress, a party that had given the nation so many Prime Ministers and chief ministers, now “only focuses on spreading lies” and has “created an atmosphere of pessimism in the country.”
Modi accused the Congress of treating Gujarati leaders “unfairly” and named Sardar Patel and former Prime Minister Morarji Desai among the party’s victims.
He asserted that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime was a collective decision of all political parties and state governments and that the Centre was only a small part in the decision-making process.
Modi said in Gujarati that all “political parties, including the Congress, took the decision to bring in GST. You are all partners in this decision”.
“The central government is only a 30th part in the entire GST Council,” the Prime Minister said, indicating that the responsibility for the problems because of the new tax regime could not be rest solely on his office.
“I had said it is a new tax regime and I will review it after three months. And we not only reviewed it, but are trying to resolve all ticklish issues and all gaps relating to it.
“I assure our huge trading community that the government is committed to ensure they have no problems because of the new reformist tax regime,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister claimed that thousands of new traders were coming up to join the GST regime but seeking simplicity in its implementation. “I have given my word to the traders that I will not allow them to suffer.
“Nobody is against GST, they all want that there should be no hurdles in its implementation. We are seized of it and am continuously making suggestions to address all concerns.”
Calling it his ‘dream project’, the Prime Minister also said that he will inaugurate the Ghogha-Dahej Ro Ro service on October 22.