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.”

In the diamond city, he recalled a recent trip to Australia and how he saw a city of diamond mines that earned its livelihood because of Surat’s diamond workers. “Aapke kaam or mehnat se, videsh ke pure shaher chal rahe hain. Aap Surat ko sone ki murat banana chahte hain to Congress ko vote dijiye (Because of your hard work, entire cities are running abroad. If you want a golden Surat, vote for the Congress),” he said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, while deferring its decision on Modi’s reply to a poll code violation notice, issued notices to Sonia Gandhi and Digvijay Singh for violation of the code. The Commission said it had viewed recordings of Sonia Gandhi’s speech in which she made the “maut ke saudagar” remark which “amounts to violation of provisions of the model code of conduct.” Others served notice by the Commission were Congress leader Digvijay Singh for making the “Hindu terrorism” remark and BJP’s V K Malhotra for alleging that Sonia Gandhi had hatred for Hindus.

On the notice to Sonia Gandhi, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “We will send a detailed and comprehensive reply after studying the notice. There is no question of violation of any model code of conduct. The BJP’s attempt to equate Modi’s statement with that of the Congress president is a desperate attempt to justify the unjustifiable. The Congress president was only talking of governance issues and highlighting the climate of insecurity and lawlessness in Gujarat.”

Digvijay Singh said he was yet to receive the notice. “I have been saying that both Hindu terrorism and Muslim terrorism are bad. I have been saying it for a long time. What is new about it?” he told The Indian Express.