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“Vote bank politics not needed”

MUMBAI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has slammed the Congress for its ‘vote bank politics’ which was ‘dividing the people’ and said the need of the hour was good governance.

Mr. Modi was felicitated at a function at Shivaji Park by the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. An elaborate stage was designed by art director Sanjay Dhabade with the white pillars of Parliament House, a portion of the Red Fort and the maps of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Mr. Modi drew up in a red chariot onto the stage which had five toy lions in front, to the cries of “Gujarat ka sher kaun hai, Narendra Modi hai.”

The rally signalled the launch of the BJP’s election campaign in the State.

Replying to felicitations by BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Mr. Modi said there was a “vested interest group” which could not digest his victory and now they were attacking the people of Gujarat for giving him the mandate again.

Mr. Modi said this was highly undemocratic and there was no bigger insult than this to the people. He said there was a feeling that good governance and development did not get you votes.

“I have challenged this and I have decided that if you have to change the country’s destiny and give it a bright future then you have to get out of the scheme of playing politics and giving people false promises,” he said.

“Good governance is the key and if you had that then you do not need vote bank politics to win elections. People want development and their basic needs to be fulfilled.”

He said soon other parties would also have to focus on delivering on promises and show results. Gujarat has set a new standard for the country in this regard, he added.

He said the Vajpayee government had left the godowns full of food grains but now the country was getting imported wheat. He said Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had a lot to answer for and he should explain why farmers outside the country were getting more money for wheat than the poor Indian farmers.

Mr. Modi also slammed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources. He said the people, regardless of caste and class, have a right over the country’s Treasury and it cannot be divided on communal lines.

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“Vote bank politics not needed”

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