Congress President Sonia Gandhi had kicked off her party's campaign in Rajkot on Wednesday for the Gujarat Assembly elections; following a day after Chief Minister Narendra Modi targeted her for the second time, claiming that the government had wasted over Rs 1,800 crore of public money on her foreign tours and treatment abroad.
According to the state leaders, this is the first time since 2002, Gandhi is addressing a rally in Gujarat ahead of the announcement of poll schedule. The farmers' rally at Rajkot will be Gandhi's first public meeting after the Congress-led UPA government decided to allow FDI in retail, hiked diesel prices and put a cap on subsidized LPG cylinders. With the Gujarat election dates likely to be announced today, the rally is seen as an opposition, as Modi is attempting to turn the campaign into a personality battle and gloss over local issues, asking the central government to disclose the expenses made on her foreign trips since 2004, the year the UPA came to power.
Where as, local Congress leadership has been focussing its energies on local issues, highlighting the failures of Modi government. The managers however, carefully chosen Rajkot, the fourth largest city in Gujarat, as the venue because it is part of Saurashtra, which is considered as BJP stronghold.
