Jamnagar:
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is finally campaigning in Gujarat on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of elections. This comes shortly after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi both campaigned there.
Mr Gandhi will address three rallies today, including in Jamnagar and Sanand.
Here are the highlights of his speech in Jamnagar:
- When I was young, my father told me the story of Gandhiji.
- I want to tell you the story
- Gandhiji came to our house in Allahabad - and Jawaharlal Nehru got involved in the freedom struggle
- Motilal Nehru felt Gandhiji had taken away his son - Jawaharlal was arrested
- There was some tension between Gandhiji and Motilalji..
- Motilalji one night could not see Gandhiji in his room. He switched on the slight to see him sleeping on the floor
- Gandhiji said Jawahar lal in jail is sleeping on the floor, so I too will sleep on the floor
- This in Gujarat's history... your history
- And if I have a guru in politics, that is Gandhiji
- Gandhiji's political ideology is Gujarat's ideology
- Gujarat has given this country democracy
- See the UPA government and show me one move that has taken away the voice of the people - bank nationalisation, green revolution
- Everyone has a phone here - Rajiv Gandhiji and Sam Pitroda who is from Gujarat brought about the development in telecommunications
- We have given this country MNREGA - it provided employment
- People talk of corruption - we implemented RTI because we wanted to give voice to the common man
- In Gujarat, corruption cases would have remained hidden had it not been for the RTI
- Gandhiji has taught us to fight for the rights of the people we represent
- In Gujarat, the aam aadmi's voice isn't heard
- The Chief Minister wants to listen to his own voice, he has his own dreams
- A true leader makes the people's dreams his own
- In Gujarat the assembly functions for only 25 days a year... and when it does, the Opposition is thrown out
- We brought the Lokpal Bill, the BJP defeated hit... they were happy in Parliament that day, were smiling
- Is there Lokayukta in Gujarat? Why?
- 14,000 RTI applications are pending? Why? Corruption is hidden behind closed doors
- The strength is in your voice and that voice is being suppressed
- There is great marketing - Gujarat is shining but here you have water for 25 minutes every third day
- Gujarat is not run by one man, it is run by the people
- Your children will run Gujarat, they are the future
- Your strength has not only transformed Gujarat - even the President of Brazil told me the other day his ideal in politics was Gandhi... and there is Nelson Mandela
- Lakhs of leaders have been shown the way by Gujarat (Gandhi)