On the day the Election Commission served notice to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for describing the Gujarat government as “maut ke saudagar (merchants of death)”, son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, joining the poll campaign for the first time in the state, slammed the Modi government for “hiding behind falsehood”.

Without naming Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, during a 25-km road show today that took him through all five Assembly constituencies of Surat city, said: “Aaj ki Gujarat sarkar asatya ke peeche chhupi hui hai. Gujarat sarkar chalane wale maante hain ki asatya zor se, gusse se bola jaye, use dohraya jaye, to woh jaadu se satya ban jayega (Gujarat government is hiding behind falsehood. Those who run the Gujarat government believe if they keep repeating a falsehood forcefully and angrily, it will magically become the truth).”

Introduced as “our future Prime Minister” at Varaccha Road in Dhiru Gajera’s constituency, Gandhi said: “If Gujarat has progressed, it is because of its people. The present Gujarat government is hiding behind falsehood. They say Gujarat is No. 1 in investments. The truth is that Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra are ahead of Gujarat in attracting investments. The government promised 100 per cent literacy by 2008 but 30 per cent of the people of Gujarat are still illiterate. The government said there is 24-hour power, then why do farmers complain of only six hours of power? Why have the rates of power gone up four times? You will soon have a Congress government that will be inclusive and will stand for truth.”

... contd.