BJP president Amit Shah and his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi were campaigning in two different regions of Madhya Pradesh when the Election Commission of India announced on Saturday that the state will go to polls in a single phase on November 28.
While Rahul worshiped river Narmada at Jabalpur before embarking on a roadshow in the city, Shah, too, began his election tour with puja at the Mahalaxmi temple in Indore.
Earlier, addressing a rally in Morena in north Madhya Pradesh, Rahul accused the Modi government of favouring industrialists at the expense of farmers.
On Saturday, Shah countered Rahul's allegation at a BJP workers’ conference in Indore, claiming it was the Congress that ruined agriculture by pursuing wrong policies.
“We have given the farmers one-and-a-half times over on the cost of farming as minimum support price (MSP),” he said.
Personal attacks marked the speeches of BJP and Congress presidents.
Rahul targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for favouring Anil Ambani in Rafael deal and Finance Minister Arjun Jaitley for “helping” beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya to flee India.
On the other hand, Shah challenged Rahul to give accounts of the four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family before seeking account of the four years of the Modi government.
Both Rahul and Amit are leading the charge in Madhya Pradesh from the front.
In the last one month, the BJP president has toured the state thrice while Rahul has visited Madhya Pradesh four times.