Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek votes on the Madhya Pradesh model of governance and demonstrate the same confidence and pride the Congress is showcasing over its record in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, instead of misleading people on the basis of religion and other extraneous issues.

Addressing a public meeting in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh, Priyanka said: “Don’t trust what I say. Look around, check for yourself. Judge our performance in the states ruled by Congress. Has Modi said, 'Look at the BJP government’s performance in Madhya Pradesh?' I can tell you about Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Karnataka.”

She added: “I am not saying everything is right in these states. But the direction is right. Our chief ministers worked hard to deliver on their promises. Development is an open-ended process, lots more has to be done. But what is Modi doing? He is talking about some red diary (a reference to allegations the BJP has been making about bribery in Rajasthan). What’s there in the red diary? He has sidelined the local leaders and is seeking votes in his name. Is he planning to become the chief minister?"

Making a direct appeal not to make religion a poll issue, she said: “It is in the hands of the people to decide whether they will allow a politician to mislead them in the name of religion. We are all religious and we worship our gods. But why bring religion into politics? Religion teaches love and compassion; no religion instigates hate and violence. This politics is designed to mislead you, to incite religious passions and divert attention from governance failures. You are facing deceit. Open your eyes and enforce accountability upon your leaders.”

Entreating people to analyse on the basis of correct information, and not claims made by leaders, she said: “Judge the leaders on the yardsticks of your own interests. Force leaders to strengthen your rights, make your life easier. They say there is no money for pension and write off lakhs of crores for industrialists, spend Rs 20,000 crore on a new Parliament building, and buy aircraft worth Rs 8,000 crore. These decisions were taken when people were dying of Covid without medicine and oxygen.”

She went on to compare Madhya Pradesh with Rajasthan: “In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot’s government gave two lakh jobs. In over three years, the Madhya Pradesh government gave 21 jobs. The BJP reduced the price of gas cylinders from Rs 1,100 when elections loomed but we are giving it for Rs 500. Rajasthan has opened countless schools, colleges and universities. In Rajasthan, people get health insurance worth Rs 25 lakh. The state government had to organise ‘Mahngai Rahat Kendra’ to protect the people from high prices fuelled by the Centre.”

Modi had sold the “Gujarat model” when he ran for the Prime Minister’s post in 2014 but rarely talks about it now. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, he has asked voters to support the BJP and relied more on the “Bharat-ka-videsh-mein-danka-baj-raha-hai” narrative than showcasing the Shivraj government’s record on providing education and healthcare.

The only scheme of the state he mentions is “Ladli Behna” in which Rs 1,200 is given to poor women every month. Ironically, Modi condemned such schemes brought by the Congress in Karnataka and Himachal as “ rewdi culture” and warned against its ill-effects on the economy. Even during the Karnataka election campaign, Modi scarcely referred to the performance of the state government, seeking votes instead in his own name alone. The state government there was notorious for its “40 per cent commission” image but Modi never even tried clarifying.

The texture of Modi’s campaign changes dramatically in Madhya Pradesh where the Shivraj government is grappling with myriad corruption charges, even as he sings aloud about scams and damning videos in Chhattisgarh. He hasn’t yet revealed what’s there in the “red diary” against Gehlot but chose to seal his lips on shocking videos suggesting deal-making worth hundreds of crores by a Union minister’s son. Modi talks of paper leaks in Rajasthan but not in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

While Priyanka addressed two meetings in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting and held a road show and a padayatra in another poll-bound state, Telangana. He attracted massive crowds to the Narsampet road show and along the Warangal padayatra, strengthened the perception that the Congress is in revival mode in the state. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too was in Telangana to release the party manifesto.