Modi exudes confidence of picking up 151 seats, targets Rahul

Bhuj, Nov 27: Kicking off his crucial round of election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP will be able to win at least 151 seats in 182-member Assembly and also made a blistering attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for "embracing" Chinese envoy when Indian soldiers were busy guarding the border at Doklam.

He also said the election in Gujarat this year would be a contest between 'development' plank of BJP and 'the dynastic politics' of the Congress. 
Campaigning for multiple BJP candidates in the Kutch region, Mr Modi told an election rally here: "Had Narmada water reached Kutch region, the locals here would have been forced from seeking migration across the country - into far off north east". 
Directing his tirade against Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister said the Congress party not only lacks "neta and niti" (leadership and also policy), but in addition, it lacks "nato (touch) with ground reality".
Making it clear that the battle in Gujarat would be soon confined to Modi-Rahul battle, the Prime Minister took exception to the Congress Vice-President's criticism of 'hug-diplomacy' of Mr Modi.
"Those who cannot think beyond family, cannot do well for the country," he said and referred to the Congress leader's attack on Mr Modi for the release of Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed.
He wondered while Hafiz Saeed was released by a Pakistani court, what it had to do with Indian diplomacy.
In this context, he referred to Mr Gandhi meeting Chinese ambassador during the peak of standoff at Doklam sector.
"For 76 days in minus temperature, Indian soldiers guarded our borders seeing eyeball-to-eyeball with Chinese side, but you had gone and embraced Chinese ambassador," he said.
The Prime Minister questioned Congress criticism of the surgical strike by Indian forces and ridiculed the Congress demand for a 'proof' for the strike.
Mr Modi started his speech speaking in local Bhuj dialect and said he has come to the region to seek people's "blessing".
The Prime Minister maintained that immense changes have come in the Bhuj region since the killer quake of 2000 and said once upon a time, it was a difficult proposition to presume that even agriculture can be thought of in this region.
He said once upon a time Kutch region was like "kalapani" - a God forsaken land where government servants used to take posting here as punishment transfer.
"But things have changed a lot in last decade. There is a big boost to tourism in recent years....The Rann of Kutch existed from before, Modi did not create it," he pointed out trying to underline the Congress negligence of the region.
"Vikas is our mantra," he said repeatedly and maintained that Kutch visit and huge turnout at Monday's rally has given him confidence that the BJP will be able to win 151 seats.
During the peak of 'pro-Modi' wave in 2002, the saffron party had won maximum 127 seats in the 182-member Assembly. UNI