Chidambaram hits out at Modi over 'son of soil' remark

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a highly personalised campaign, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday sent him a reminder -   that Gujarat elections are not about an individual but the promised 'acche din' that have not come even after 42 months.

A day after Modi invoked the "son-of-the-soil" sentiment and pride of Gujarat, Chidambaram wondered whether he had forgotten that he was the prime minister of India.

"Mr Modi's campaign is about himself, his past and the disdain of Gujarat and Gujaratis. Has he forgotten he is the prime  minister of India," the former finance minister said in a series of tweets.

Chidambaram said the Gujarat election was not about Mr Modi, the individual. "It is about the promised achhe din that has not come in 42 months," he said referring to the BJP's Lok Sabha election campaign pitch of ushering in good times if voted to power.

"Why does Modi not talk about joblessness, lack of investment, the collapse of SMEs, stagnant exports and price rise? Because he has no answers to the hard reality," he said.

Seeking to puncture Modi's "son-of-the-soil" pitch, Chidambaram pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi was also the son of Gujarat.

"Mr Modi has forgotten that Gandhiji was an Indian and son of Gujarat; Gandhiji was, and is, revered as Father of the Nation; and Gandhiji's chosen instrument to lead the freedom struggle was the Congress party," he said.

The prime minister and the BJP, he added, may now "desperately embrace" Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, "but the redoubtable Sardar had rejected the BJP's parent RSS and its divisive ideology".