Congress MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani feels a “silent wave” has gripped the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat where a change is inevitable and the upcoming State Assembly polls will give a new direction to the country.
The Congress will win 120 out of the total 182 Assembly seats in the State polls, scheduled in two phases on December 1 and 5, he claimed in an interview with PTI. “This election is against autocracy, unemployment and price rise,” he said.
Mr. Mevani (41), who is eyeing a second term from Vadgam, this time on the Congress ticket, is slogging it out in the poll arena, covering around 10 villages in a day in his Assembly seat, reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.
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He was elected as an independent MLA from the same seat in 2017 with the Congress’ support. “This time there is a silent revolution, a silent wave has gripped the State. People have made up their mind as they think that enough is enough,” Mr. Mevani claimed in response to a question that the BJP is considered unbeatable in Gujarat.
Mr. Mevani said the “Gujarat elections will give a new direction to the country”. The MLA said his assessment is that the Congress will win 120 Assembly seats and lay the foundation for rebuilding Gujarat. “A change is inevitable,” he said.
“Though the BJP is trying rake up emotional issues such as Hindutva, this time it won’t work,” the Congress leader said, adding he has been telling people to vote for him keeping in mind the price of a gas cylinder.
“People elected (Prime Minister) Modiji with great love, not once but twice, but after so many years unemployment has not decreased, price rise has not stopped,” he said.
“Now, people have witnessed that they are a repressive government as they started targeting those who raise their voice against them including Opposition leaders, advocates, journalists. They (people) understood that this is a dictatorial government,” he said.
“Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi having a fan following and an aura of unbeatability in Gujarat,” Mr. Mevani claimed, “He does not have an aura, but it has been built by the use of money power, public relations and image building.”
“It is to be
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