Modi seeks 'blessing' as 'Gujarat's dikra', recounts works as PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while seeking votes for BJP in the Patan district of north Gujarat attacked Congress saying that "had the Congress built toilets in two years after independence, he would not have had to built 11 crore toilets in the country and would have got time to do other works. Congress couldn't even build toilets."

"Think about it. Congress didn't have an understanding of the problem faced by our sisters. Due to the lack of toilets, our sisters suffered a lot as they could go out only before sunrise or after dark. Who would understand the pain of mothers and sisters? This son went to Delhi and understood and started a campaign to construct toilets. We built 11 crore toilets," the prime minister said in the election gathering, adding, "Now you tell me, shouldn't this work been done in two years after independence? If you (Congress) had built toilets, did I have to do it? I would have had time to do other work."

The prime minister also claimed that after going to Delhi (as PM), he built homes for 3 crore of the poor. "You will bless me that your son in Delhi built 3 crore homes for the poor. In our society, when someone feeds a poor, the whole society hails that person. They said that the person is very kind. This son of yours built three crore houses," the prime minister said in Patan.

Modi also mentioned how his government in the centre distributed free ration to 80 crore people at a cost of Rs3 lakh crore and Rs40,000 crore expenditure for free vaccination against coronavirus. Referring to himself as a "tamaro dikra your son)," the prime minister also reminded people of sending money directly to small farmers under Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Apart from Patan, Modi also addressed rallies in Kankrej in Banaskantha and Sojitra in Anand district. Later in the evening, in Ahmedabad, he took another roadshow and addressed another gathering in Saraspur. He claimed that "since 2014, the image of India has improved in America, England, Canada and Australia." Ahmedabad rally is said to be Modi's last election rally.

63.31 per cent turnout

Meanwhile, the election commission on Friday said that the average voter turnout for the first phase of Gujarat assembly polls for 89 seats was recorded at 63.31 per cent. In 2017 polls, the turnout for the first phase polling was 66.75 per cent for the same number of seats. The polling was held in the 19 districts spread across Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat. According to the figures, Dediapada in Narmada district recorded the highest 82.71 per cent voting while Kaprada Assembly constituency in Valsad district had 79.57 per cent turnout. All three political parties including BJP, Congress and AAP claimed that they were winning with record seats.