Porbandar: BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is unable to see the development in Gujarat because of "Italian spectacles".
Flagging off the second phase of Gujarat Gaurav Yatra from Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi on his birthday, Shah said: "Rahul should wear Gujarati spectacles and not the one made in Italy, then he will see the development in Gujarat."
His criticism of Gandhi comes after the Congress leader during his visit to Saurashtra last week termed the Gujarat model of development as a failure.
The BJP is taking out a series of such yatras across the state ahead of the assembly election later this year. The yatras would culminate at Gandhinagar on October 15, during which 138 public meetings would be addressed by party leaders.
Addressing a meeting at Porbandar, Shah hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Gujarat's pride. He said the BJP takes pride in Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Narendra Modi and in developed, peaceful and curfew-free Gujarat. "BJP takes pride for making Gujarat drought free by bringing Narmada water to the parched areas," Shah added.
Shah also took a dig at the opposition for its dismal electoral performance in other states since 2014 and said the Congress is "day dreaming" about winning Gujarat in 2017. He also taunted the Congress Vice President, saying that elections are not won by spending vacations abroad but with boots on the ground.
Shah claimed the BJP has established the rule of law in Gujarat after the Congress' "misrule" and that like the erstwhile goons in Porbandar and elsewhere in the state, the opposition too has gradually "disappeared" from Gujarat.
He also spoke of last year's surgical strikes across the border and questioned Rahul Gandhi about a Congress leader's comment on the Army General.
Shah termed the Congress "anti-Gujarat" and said the NDA government at the Centre has enhanced the financial allocation for the state to Rs 1,58,380 crore as opposed to Rs 63,343 crore till May 2014 besides approving various other projects for the state, and completing Sardar Sarovar dam over Narmada, "the life line of Gujarat".