Modi met only industrialists in Mumbai, not commoners: Cong

Maharashtra Congress today targeted Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by pointing out that the BJP leader met industrialists while in Mumbai, but did not meet "the common man".

Apart from meetings with the state BJP's core group and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Modi attended a closed-door meeting with industrialists at a five-star hotel here yesterday. He also attended a book launch. "In his Mumbai visit, Modi chose not to meet the common man from the slums but met industrialists. Why does he meet industrialists so frequently?" MPCC spokesperson Sachin Sawant said here.

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Speaking about Modi's comment at the book launch that talking of `Ram Rajya' - the term used by Mahatma Gandhi - is now considered as a threat to secularism, Sawant said Gandhi also taught non-violence and experiments with truth which Modi had forgotten.

About senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde's statement that he spent Rs 8 crore on his election campaign in 2009, Sawant said, "Munde's testimony is the reality of BJP as to how immoral, anti-democratic they are in their ideology and even in attitude. "It is a criminal act which requires action. The expenditure of all BJP candidates needs to be examined as there is chance they may be following in their leader's footsteps," Sawant said.

When asked if Congress will file a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard, AICC media cell member Anant Gadgil said "(Munde's rival in state BJP) Nitin Gadkari will do it."