Valsad, Gujarat, Sep 13: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, in course of his Vivekananda Yatra, attacked the Congress for the recent scams, and went to the extent of describing the AICC as All India Coal Congress (Aii India Koyla Congress).
Modi's Swami Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra began from Unai(Navsari district) to Valsad via Wasda and Dharampur.
Modi attacked Congress leaders for criticizing him for using the name of Swami Vivekananda for elections.
“In Bihar, some parties used a double of Osama bin Laden during the elections, but nobody raised a finger. If I use the name of Vivekananda, one of the greatest Indians, these leaders from the Congress are raising objections.
“How can they stop me from using the names of Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Bhagat Singh in my campaign?”, asked Modi.
Modi, aiming for a third consecutive win in state assembly elections, said he felt pride in using the names of India's greatest heroes.
In Delhi, the Congress said, it does not see the Gujarat assembly polls as a Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi contest.
“The question does not arise. Rahul Gandhi is a national leader while Narendra Modi is a state leader,” party spokesman Rashid Alvi told reporters.
Senior leader Mohan Prakash, who is in-charge of party affairs in Gujarat, said that Rahul Gandhi would be visiting Gujarat shortly and would be campaigning there like any other state in the country.
Rashid Alvi said, Rahul would be leading the party whether it is Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat or Maharashtra.
The party attacked Modi's ‘Vivekanand Yatra' with Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh saying that there are no similarities with Swami Vivekanand and Modi and it would have been better had it been called “Hitler yatra”.
Modi, seeking a fourth term in office, has utilized earlier elections to project himself as a national leader by consistently targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as also Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress leaders feel.
