BJP trying to divert attention, God is omnipresent: Cong on Ram Setu issue

After BJP's attack on Congress on the "Ram Setu" issue, the party defended itself by saying "Lord Rama was "omnipresent" and BJP was trying to divert attention from the development issues of Gujarat.

"Lord is omnipresent, he is everywhere, he resides in every substance and particles, Ram is present in the entire universe.

"You can see him in an idol, because that is a matter of faith. But it would have been good had the BJP respected the Ram in the hearts of the people in Gujarat, the Ram in the expectations and desire of Gujarati people ... the Ram hiddden in people belonging to Patidar community, who were attacked by the BJP, and also against whom false complaints were filed, the Ram who resides in 30 lakh unemployed youth, the Ram in the farmers of Gujarat.

"They should have respected the Ram who is hidden in the pain and Sufferings of Dalits, who were attacked in Una..the Ram hidden in people belonging to backward classes who are being exploited. They should have been given due respect by the BJP," he added.

Surjewala also said: "The truth is BJP is only diverting attention. They are not talking about issues. Gujarat election is not about Congress vs BJP, but the contest is between the people of Gujarat and BJP. They cannot hide the misrule of 22 years by taking Ram's name."
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Gujarat polls: EC bars BJP from using 'Pappu' in electronic advertisement

The Election Commission has barred the ruling BJP in Gujarat from using the word "Pappu" in an electronic advertisement, which apparently targeted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, calling it "derogatory".

"Pappu" is perceived as a social media slur coined to target Gandhi.

Confirming the development, sources in the BJP today said the script of the advertisement did not link the word to any individual.

According to BJP sources, the media committee under the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) objected to the word mentioned in the script of the advertisement which was submitted by the party for approval last month.

"Before making any election-related advertisement, we have to submit a script to the committee to get a certificate. However, they raised objection to the word 'Pappu', saying it is derogatory. They asked us to remove or replace it," a senior BJP leader said.

He said the party will replace the word and submit a new script for the EC's approval.

"Since there was no direct mention or linkage with any person while mentioning 'Pappu' in the entire script, we had appealed to the committee to reconsider their decision, but they rejected it. Now, we will change that word and submit a new script for approval," he said.

When contacted, Gujarat CEO BB Swain said he was not aware of any such development and can comment only after getting the details tomorrow.
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Chidambaram attacks Modi govt over unjust growth in Gujarat

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Tuesday his only regret in life was not having served as finance minister in a government which had an "absolute majority", as he targeted the Modi government over its economic policies.

Chidambaram said development had indeed "gone crazy" in Gujarat, and criticised the BJP government in the state for leading what he called a "skewed, unfair, unjust and inequitable growth".

He also came down heavily on the Centre's bullet train project whose foundation was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad recently.

"The only regret in my life is that I was never a finance minister in a government with absolute majority," he told businessmen at a function organised by the Congress party at Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).

Referring to the massive majority the BJP-led NDA had in the Lok Sabha, he said anything could have been done with that kind of mandate.

"We could have completely reformed the finance sector, we could have passed the direct taxes code, we could have passed a near perfect GST. With that kind of majority, any laws could have been changed. Anyway, that did not happen," he said.
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Fine with Congress' reservation options: Hardik amidst alleged sex CD leaks

An alleged sex video of 24-year-old pro-reservation Patidar leader Hardik Patel was telecast on local Gujarati TV channels here on Monday, with the firebrand youngster laughing it away as an expected ploy to defame him though it heated up the political climate in poll-bound Gujarat.

The video shows a Hardik Patel-lookalike with an unidentified woman, fully clothed and with her back to the camera, and then the room turns dark.

Reacting, Patel said, "I had been saying for some time that all such dirty things, including such a video, would be flung at me, but I don't care and I will continue my fight against the BJP."

Coming down heavily upon the saffron party, the Patidar leader said that using women to stay in power is shameless.

"In coming days, I think people will threat women or bribe them to get indulge in such activities. I am serving for people and I don't care of such kind of politics. All I have to say is that please don't play with any women's character by using such kind of video," he added.

Earlier, Patel took to Twitter and said that the women of Gujarat have been insulted by the filthy politics.
His supporters claimed the video was morphed.

Patel said it was a conspiracy against him by the ruling BJP, which was "known to be adept at this".

He pointed out that sometime ago, BJP insiders floated such a video of one of their own leaders Sanjay Joshi.
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Sex CD leak: Hardik Patel says it's BJP's 'dirty politics'

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of releasing the alleged sex CD to dent his image.

A CD of the Patidar leader has surfaced on social media, in which he can be seen with a woman in a room.

Speaking to media, Patel said that the video has been released to malign his image in the light of the upcoming elections in the state.

"This was very pathetic allegation levelled against me. I am not worried about my reputation but about the woman. This kind of politics is not expected. Gujarat women should wake up and do something against random people using videos like this. This was panned by BJP to secure around 50 seats in the election but I don't care," he said.

Coming down heavily upon the saffron party, the Patidar leader said that using women to stay in power is shameless.

"In coming days, I think people will threat women or bribe them to get indulge in such activities. I am serving for people and I don't care of such kind of politics. All I have to say is that please don't play with any women's character by using such kind of video," he added.
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Vote for BJP, save Gujarat from casteism: Modi's written message to voters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the people of Gujarat to vote for the BJP in the Assembly polls embracing its development agenda, and save the state by rejecting "casteism, communalism and dynastic politics".

On the first day of the BJP's door-to-door outreach drive - Gujarat Gaurav Maha-Sampark Abhiyan - BJP workers and leaders, including its president Amit Shah, distributed copies of Modi's message-cum-appeal among people.

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In the written message addressed to the people of Gujarat, Modi urged them to remember what the state was before the BJP assumed power in 1995, and appealed to them to vote for his party to carry forward the "journey of development" that began 22 years back.

"Just compare what was Gujarat 22 years back and what it is now. Thanks to the good governance of the BJP governments, Gujarat has reached new heights of development, so much so that it is now known across the world," he said in the message.

Modi said a young person of 22-25 years cannot even imagine what Gujarat was in the past when casteism and communalism "destroyed" it.
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