Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially kicked off the election campaign in his home state of Gujarat, on Monday, with a stinging attack on the country’s main opposition, the Congress Party.
Gujarat, governed by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will go to polls on December 9 in two phases.
The results of the elections will be announced on December 18.
“The Gujarat election is a contest between trust on development and dynastic politics,” the prime minister said while addressing hundreds of supporters of his party in the western Indian state’s Kutch district.
He was referring to Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, who is expected to take over the reins of the decades-old Congress party from his mother Sonia Gandhi next month.
Slamming leaders of the Congress party for levelling baseless allegations against him, Modi said: “This son of Gujarat has no stains in his public life.”
“I am grateful for all the kichad (muck) being thrown at me. After all, a lotus blooms only in kichad.
“Those slinging mud on us will help the lotus bloom even more,” he said, referring to BJP’s party symbol.
Senior leaders of the Congress party, mainly Rahul Gandhi, have also been campaigning in Gujarat with a hope to clinch a win in the polls, banking on incumbency.
Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 till 2014 when he became prime minister after BJP won the general elections. (NAN)