Who will form the government in Gujarat? All aspects related to this question were answered today at ‘Game of Gujarat’, the biggest platform on Gujarat assembly elections by Zee News. At least 50 political stalwarts, including BJP president Amit Shah, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Sanjay Nirupam, participated in the political conclave.
Speaking to Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary at the Game of Gujarat conclave, BJP president Amit Shah said that his party will retain power in the state with at least 150 seats.
Shah said that the Narendra Modi government is sensitive about the issues of traders related to GST.
When asked about Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s questions on “vikas” in Gujarat, he said, “Vikas is a joke for Congress, but it is a belief for the BJP.” He added that the BJP will win with a majority bigger than before in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said that the Congress loses election everywhere the leader tries to win. “Congress does not have any leader in Gujarat, therefore they have outsourced the leaders.
On a question on nationalism by Sudhir Chaudhary, Shah said that “every worker of the BJP is a nationalist”. Talking about Ram Mandir, he said that it would be constructed only with consensus and follow a legal course.
In the first session of Game of Gujarat conclave, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani spoke to Sudhir Chaudhary. Answering a question about the pressure on Gujarat BJP with the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that the former CM’s popularity had only risen in the state.
“When Modi ji was the CM, people gave 121 seats to BJP. And now that he is the prime minister, BJP will win more than 150 seats,” he said.
On Hardik Patel, Rupani said that the Patidar leader was in the lap of the Congress party and that would benefit the BJP. “We had said earlier also that Hardik was a Congress man,” he added.
Patel joined the second session of Gujarat, and claimed that his “state was not independent as the BJP had ignored more than 30 lakh members of Patel community”.
Talking about the CD controversy, he said that a CD could be made of anyone. On friendship with Rahul Gandhi, Patel asked if the Congress leader was a “terrorist”. “It is not mandatory for everyone to be friends with only Narendra Modi”.
OBC leader Alpesh Thakor joined Patel in the third session.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also made some interesting remarks on the Gujarat elections in the fourth session of the conclave. He pointed that there had been no scam under the Narendra Modi government.
“It is the courage of Modi ji that he does surgical strike also and attacks black money with demonetisation,” he said, pointing that 2G scam took place when Rahul Gandhi’s party was in power.
Prasad further blamed the Congress party for the Patidar agitation in Gujarat.
In the fifth session, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that the cloth traders in Surat were suffering because of GST. In the same session, Union minister Purushottam Rupala said that the development they have brought to Gujarat, they are going to do the same in the rest of the country.
Former Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela refused to reveal his cards, but said that they can go with anyone if needed. He joined the sixth session of the conclave.
In the seventh session, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and Congress leader Arjun Modwadia discussed the claims and the fact about development.
Patel said that the BJP had given government schools, hospitals and colleges, while Modwadia claimed that no government school was built during 22 years of BJP rule.
In the eighth session, Zee News tried to explore the mood of people. Social activist Sapna Vyas Patel, BJP leader Reshma Patel, Congress leader Amiben Yagnik and social worker Jakia Soman presented their views. The ninth session discussed the youth of Gujarat. During this session, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam alleged that unemployment had gone up during 22 years of BJP rule. Responding to it, BJP leader Sambit Patra pointed that Gujarat got an award for job creation when the UPA was in power at the Centre.