With both the major political parties - the ruling BJP as well as the Congress - are trying their hard to reach out to maximum number of voters through a series of public rallies, the political heat has started soaring in Gujarat even as the Assembly poll in the State is scheduled to be held in December next year.
BJP national president Amit Shah is already here in his home State addressing public rallies across the State. On the other hand the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi and AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi are also all set to address farmers’ rallies across the State in May this year.
Not only the BJP and the Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led political outfit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also striving to make its presence felt in Gujarat. The AAP has decided to organise 50 rallies in the State through its initiative ‘Connect Gujarat Mission’. Besides political parties, pressure groups like Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PASS) and Alpesh Thakor-led OBC, SC, ST Ekta Munch are already pushing their agenda and pressurising the State Government to accept their demands related to reservation quotas in Government jobs and educational institutions.
Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting at Ahmedabad, BJP president Shah gave assurance that Modi Government at the Centre is committed to fulfill all the promises given in the run-up to lok Sabha polls 2014. Taking a dig Rahul Gandhi for his stance on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) issue, the BJP president said that in the next lok Sabha polls Congress would reduce to zero from its current strength of 44 MPs in lok Sabha.
Replying those who raised the issue of intolerance, he said that BJP believes in freedom of expression. The saffron party is tolerating criticism of its most popular leader - Narendra Modi for many years, he said adding that in the history of independent India, if any leader has been criticised the most, he is non-other than PM Modi. He also trained his guns on former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharur for comparing a student leader Kanhaiya Kumar with great martyr Bhagat Singh
Official sources in Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) said that AICC president and vice-president were to visit Gujarat in February but they postponed it and decided to come here in May. The top Congress leaders will address farmers’ rallies. Sonia would address rallies in tribal areas of the State while Rahul is expected to attend the public rallies in politically sensitive Saurashtra region.