Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the BJP's new election slogan in Gujarati - 'I have made this Gujarat'.
"Every Gujarati is full of self-confidence, that's why every Gujarati speaks, the voice of the inner soul speaks, every sound comes from the heart of Gujarat, I have made this Gujarat," he said at a public meeting event in Kaprada.
"Aa Gujarat, mai bnavyu chhe" (I have made this Gujarat), the PM said, and also made the audience chant it several times during his 25-minute-long speech.
He also attacked rival Congress without naming the grand old party, and accused it of "defaming" the state.
"Gujarat will sweep away divisive forces that have spent their last 20 years in defaming the state," he said.
The Prime Minister launched his Gujarat election campaign from the Kaprada assembly constituency, which is part of the Valsad district and is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes.
PM Modi appealed to the Adivasi community by stressing how important the tribal community is to him and what his party has done for them.
This is the Prime Minister's first visit to his home state after the Assembly elections were declared.
PM Modi will later this evening attend a mass marriage ceremony, 'Papa Ni Pari' Lagnotsav 2022 at Bhavnagar.
At the ceremony, 522 girls who do not have fathers will get married.
The BJP intensified its campaigning in the poll bound state after Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the "Gujarat Gaurav Yatra" in Ahmedabad on October 13. A day before that, party President JP Nadda flagged off the 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' in Mehsana. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other BJP leaders were also present at the occasion.
Earlier on October 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting at Jamkandorna in Rajkot district. He also held a roadshow after the rally.
The elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will take place on December 8.
The BJP has won six consecutive assembly polls in Gujarat. The Congress is keen to take an early decision on candidates to give them more time for campaigning, and is seeking to bolster its campaign through yatras. The Aam Aadmi Party, the new entrant to the state, has claimed the polls are a direct battle between them and the BJP.
