In Gujarat, It's Congress' 'Vikas Gone Crazy' Vs BJP's 'I am Vikas, I am Gujarat'

Ahmedabad: The Election Commission is yet to declare the dates when the Gujarat Assembly goes to polls, but the parties have already entered the yatra mode. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi completed the first phase of his Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra earlier this week, and BJP president Amit Shah kicked off party's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra on Sunday.

Shah started the campaign from Karamsad, the birthplace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It's not just about the Yatras anymore in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. The BJP is countering Congress' "Vikas Gone Crazy" slogan with "I am Vikas, I am Gujarat", an attempt to connect state's development with its pride and identity.

Flagging off the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, BJP president Amit Shah told the gathering, "A lot of developmental work and people-oriented progress has been done by the Narendra Modi government in the past three years. It is the duty of our karyakartas to go and explain this to the people."

Shah, then, took potshots at Rahul Gandhi, saying, "You are asking us to give an account of the progress made by us. What about the injustice that three generations have done to Gujarat."

Also speaking on the occasion, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said: "For the Congress, development, and growth must be a matter of joke, but for the BJP, it is a matter of pride. A matter of Gujarati pride."

Quite clearly, Rupani was referring to the onslaught of "Vikas Gone Crazy" memes on social media that have rattled the BJP leadership over the past one month or so.

State BJP president Jitu Vaghani said that since 2002, the Congress had been trying to derail progress and development in Gujarat. "But the people of Gujarat have rejected the Congress over and over again, and these elections are not going to be any different," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of Patidar youth tried to disrupt the speech of BJP President Amit Shah at Anand. They raised slogans - 'Jay Sardar Jay Patidar' - before the police stepped in and took them away. A fortnight ago, Patidars had protested against the Narmada Rath Yatra as well in various parts of Saurashtra and North Gujarat.

Four such Gujarat Gaurav Yatras will begin from Central Gujarat, Saurashtra, North Gujarat and South Gujarat and culminate in Ahmedabad in a massive BJP rally that is likely to be addressed by Prime Minister Modi later in October.