Gujarat campaign: Too late for Rahul to take on Modi?

Two days before Gujarat goes to vote, Congress's yuvraj Rahul Gandhi is finally set to enter the battleground on Tuesday. However, the question is whether it is a little too late to take on Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress leader will address meetings at Sanand in Ahmedabad in central Gujarat and at Jamnagar and Amreli in Saurashtra regions. Observers say it's in the rural confines of Saurashtra that the most powerful political battle is being fought. The BJP rebels led by Keshubhai Patel will be looking to dent Modi in the BJP's original bastion.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have already campaigned in the state where the party is out of power for two decades. Congress's announcement of Rahul campaigning in Gujarat came when Narendra Modi dared Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Gujarat.

Modi had said that Rahul Gandhi was not campaigning in Gujarat because he did not want to take responsibility of his party's likely defeat in the Assembly polls. "One of the Congress leaders from whom they have big expectations had camped in Uttar Pradesh for 12 months and people kicked that party out of the state. This 'precious' leader of the Congress has not dared to campaign here for assembly elections," Modi had said.

"The leader knows the temperament of Gujarati people. He has realised that they won't be able to impress the people of Gujarat. Hence, he decided to pay merely token visits here. He doesn't want to take the responsibility of his party's defeat here," the Chief Minister had said.

Modi had also ridiculed the Congress for 'withdrawing' all photographs of Gandhi family members from its poll-related campaign material in Gujarat. "This has happened for the first time in 60 years.

Even political pundits have observed that not a single photograph of Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Priyanka or Rahul Gandhi has been used in Congress' election campaign advertisements," Modi said. "Do you know why the Congress has been forced to withdraw these leaders? Let me ask: Are they believing that these faces don't bring votes for the party anymore?" he asked.

Congress has assiduously made an attempt to prevent polarisation of election campaign on communal lines and hence refrained from touching on the issue of post-Godhra riots this time, which it had used to the hilt in last assembly elections. Senior Congress leaders have been targeting Modi's development claims instead this time.

Addressing a rally in Siddhpur on Monday, Sonia also dubbed the Modi government as "anti-people" alleging that the BJP-led dispensation in Gujarat is indulging in "wrong-doings". Attacking the development plank of Modi government, she said one should ask why more than four and half lakh farmers were not getting power connection despite the Centre providing electricity. Polls in Gujarat will be held on December 13 and 17.

(With additional information from PTI)