Morbi bridge, unemployment, Covid on Congress' 22-point 'charge sheet' against BJP in Gujarat

With less than a month to go for voting, the Congress has stepped up the offensive against the ruling BJP in Gujarat, saying its 27-year-rule has been marked by corruption, unemployment, fear and tyranny as the people suffer tragedies like the Morbi bridge collapse.

Releasing an 18-page document, which it said was a “charge sheet” against the BJP, the Congress on November 7 looked to rev up its campaign as new entrant the Aam Aadmi Party offers itself as an alternative in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

By raising the Morbi bridge collapse, which left 135 people dead in the poll-bound state on October 30, the Congress looked to corner the BJP as the tragedy is being seen as a collective failure of the state government and the local civic body.

The 22-point "charge sheet" also talks about the sexual exploitation of young girls in Patan and the disappearance of children from godman Asaram's ashram to slam the BJP’s law and order record.

It accuses the BJP of corruption, creating an unemployment crisis, mismanaging the economy and ignoring healthcare and farmers.

The BJP dismissed the charges, saying the Congress’ situation was worse than it was in 2017.

“Congress is frustrated with the growing popularity of BJP in Gujarat and other states. The party doesn’t have its own agenda for contesting elections. Their allegations are baseless and don’t have factual backing,” senior Gujarat BJP leader and party spokesperson Yamal Vyas Amal Vyas said.

The Congress was decimated in Gujarat because the party leadership was missing in the last five years, Vyas added.

Traditionally, Gujarat has seen a bi-polar contest between the BJP and the Congress but with the entry of Arvind Kejriwal’s party, which is trying to project itself as the main rival to the BJP, the contest has got interesting.

The Congress did well in the 2017 assembly election, winning 77 seats in the 182-member House, restricting BJP to 99. Amid the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi and the recent party presidential elections, the central leadership of the Congress didn’t devote much time to campaigning in Gujarat.

But after the announcement of poll dates, senior party leaders have been visiting the state. Newly-elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Gandhi and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and other leaders will address rallies in the state.

Also read: Assembly polls: Gujarat's tribal belt, a bastion of Congress that BJP striving hard to conquer

Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 and 5 and votes will be counted on December 8.

“This is just an attempt to influence voters as manifestos have lost reverence. Giving names like charge sheet is to gain traction and it will definitely find a greater force on the ground,” political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said.

As the Prime Minister seeks votes in his name, such a document can have an impact as it highlights the failure of the government, Kidwai said.

Also read: AAP names Isudan Gadhvi as CM candidate for Gujarat

Here are some of the points raised by the Congress in the document:

Economy

The state lost its growth momentum during BJP rule, the party said.

“In 2020-21, Gujarat recorded a negative growth rate of 1.35 percent. It is very surprising to note that Gujarat has failed at achieving a double-digit growth rate since 2017-18. The state is ranked 6th when compared with other states and union territories on the per capita income,” the “charge sheet” said.

Corruption

Corruption was a way of life in the state. “A 2019 survey noted that every second Gujarati had paid a bribe in the preceding one year. Every fourth person paid a bribe several times. The instances of several bribe payments have increased by 330 percent,” it said.

Gujarat ranks third in the number of corruption cases reported in the country, the Congress claimed.

Covid-19 crisis management 

The ruling BJP has been accused of mismanaging Covid-19 “In the second wave, among all the major cities in the country, at 2.7 percent, Ahmedabad had reported the 55 highest case fatality ratio till April 2021. Gujarat had also reported the highest mortality rate during the first wave. Till June 2020, the state's mortality 56 rate was at 6.2%, then more than double the national average,” the Congress has said.

Unemployment

The Congress said Gujarat's youth were stressed due to an unending job crisis, as the government failed to fill vacancies in government departments.

“The extent of the unemployment… can be measured from the fact that by December 2021, there were nearly 3.64 lakh educated and semi-educated youth registered as unemployed with 12 different employment exchanges in the state. More than 90 percent of the registered unemployment were in the educated category,” the party said.

Farmers

Farm wages in Gujarat were the lowest in the country, the opposition party claimed.

It says, “In 2020-21, the average wage rate in Gujarat was Rs. 213 while the national rate was Rs. 310. The real wages in Gujarat have been on a decline. The wages have grown by less than 4 percent at a time of high food and general inflation,” the document said