The Hindu : National : Modi’s challenge to Rahul Gandhi

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Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Modi’s challenge to Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: As the Congress plans to field Rahul Gandhi for poll campaigning in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has challenged the young leader to “convince” the people of the State “about his politics.”

“Let Gujarat be a training ground for him and let him use all his skills to convince the people of Gujarat about his politics,” he said on the proposed move to field Mr. Gandhi to counter him during the December Assembly polls.

Mr. Modi said “in this election, people have already set the agenda, not any political party.”

The Chief Minister, who is facing all-round attack over the 2002 Gujarat riots, also dismissed criticism against him as a “passion” of a few.

“Let them (critics) do it (attack) but I am focused on development of the State,” the Chief Minister told Sahara Samay channel.

He avoided a reply when asked why his colleagues ‘bragged’ about the riots.

In the midst of a fresh controversy triggered by a sting operation on the 2002 post-Godhra riots, Mr. Modi said he was not averse to anybody’s love for minorities, but was certainly against minorityism in politics.

“This is the precise reason why I took umbrage at the Prime Minister’s statement in which he declared the minority’s first claim over resources,” he was quoted as saying in a release by the channel.

He said the Prime Minister “later realised his mistake implicitly but only after I raised the issue.” — PTI

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