Junagadh, April 13 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi can never understand the suffering of rural poverty or mothers affected by smoke from ‘chulhas’ (stoves), Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Jagdish Vishwakarma said on Monday, targeting the party while campaigning for upcoming local body elections in Junagadh district.

Addressing ‘Vikas Sankalp Sabha’ gatherings, Vishwakarma said that Rahul Gandhi, “whose roots and maternal family are in Italy”, could not relate to the realities of village life.

He also accused the Congress of having “kept Gujarat deprived for years” and of attempting to “defame Gujarat and its people”.

Elaborating further, the State BJP President referred to remarks attributed to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and said, “The people of Gujarat will respond to this insult through their votes in the coming election.”

Vishwakarma said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “the country and Gujarat are reaching new heights of development.”

He added that the Narmada dam project, which he said had been delayed for years, was approved within 17 days of Prime Minister Modi taking charge as the Prime Minister, “fulfilling Sardar Patel’s dream”.

Turning to farmers’ issues, the state BJP President said, “During the difficult period of excessive and unseasonal rains, a relief package of Rs 10,000 crore was announced and crops worth Rs 15,000 crore were procured at support prices. Ministers and party workers had stood with farmers and the direct benefit transfers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme as well as fertiliser subsidies.”

On agricultural policy, Vishwakarma said, “More than 10 lakh farmers have adopted natural farming due to the efforts of the Governor (Acharya Devvrat) and the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel), and their produce will be linked to global markets through Amul.”

He also added that under the Kisan Suryoday Yojana, “work is underway to provide daytime electricity for agriculture in 16,000 villages”.

Addressing water supply and infrastructure, Vishwakarma said, “There was a time when women had to carry water on their heads, but today water has reached homes through schemes such as Sauni Yojana and tap connections.”

He added that Gujarat “ranks first in rooftop solar installations with more than 10 lakh households”, which he said had reduced electricity costs for residents.

The State BJP President also criticised opposition parties over their election preparedness, saying, “Congress and other parties do not even have full sets of candidates and will not be able to mislead the people of Gujarat.”

He appealed to voters to “ensure a massive victory” for BJP candidates in the district panchayat, taluka panchayat and municipal elections scheduled for April 26.

–IANS

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