Gujarat model not applicable in other states: Rahul

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stepped up his attack on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying the Gujarat model cannot be replicated in other states due to diverse issues.

Quoting a popular advertisement, Rahul said, “Modiji, Bihar ke logon ko ullu mat banao (Modi, don’t befool the people of Bihar).” Rahul was campaigning in the state for the sitting Congress MP from Kishanganj, Asrarul Haque.

Drawing a parallel on land acquisition in Bihar and Gujarat, Rahul cited how the farmers in Gujarat were charged 12 per cent interest, while industrialists like Ratan Tata got land for Nano plant at 0.1 per cent interest rate.

“We have amended the Land Acquisition Act so that farmers throughout the country get fair value of their land if it is being acquired for setting up an industry,” he said, in an apparent reference to Kishanganj, where land had been acquired for opening a branch of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

“Our focus is inclusive growth, where you (Muslims) will have to excel if the country in general and Bihar in particular has to progress,” Rahul said in this Muslim-dominated constituency.  Incidentally, Kishanganj is one constituency in Bihar where, except for 1967 election, no one other than a Muslim has won from here. 
 
JD (U) nominee pulls out

The Congress got a shot in the arm when the JD (U) candidate Akhtarul Iman withdrew from the fray arguing that he had taken this step so that Muslim votes do not get split, which would have otherwise helped BJP candidate in Kishanganj Dilip Jaiswal. Senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi smelt a rat and charged the Congress with having a tacit understanding with Nitish. The Congress, however, welcomed the JD(U) step.

“Since JD(U) nominee would have split the secular votes, it’s a welcome move that good sense has prevailed upon Nitish’s candidate,” said Bihar Congress vice-president Prem Chandra Mishra.