Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, launched broadside against the Congress, daring the grand old party to a “face off” on the issue of development rather than discussing his “aukat” (status).

Addressing election meetings on a whirlwind tour of his home state of Gujarat, the PM, indirectly referring to attacks on him by the Congress leaders, said; “They talked about showing me my ‘aukat’…called me many names…I have no ‘aukat’. You belong to the royal family, I hail from an ordinary family, and I have no problem. I am a servant and a servant with little to do. You called me ugly, low caste, death dealer, dirty sewer worm and now you talk about showing me my aukat.”

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He said that he has no ”aukat” but the Congress leaders should discuss the issue of development and make Gujarat develop. ”Come to the field. Let there be a face off,” he added while addressing a rally in the Dudhrej area of Gujarat’s Surendranagar.

In an obvious reference yet again to Rahul Gandhi walking with social activist Medha Patkar during his ”Bharat Jodo Yatra”, the PM said the Congress leader travelled by putting his hands on the shoulders of the people who made Gujarat “thirsty.”

The PM had yesterday also sharply attacked Rahul for walking along with Patkar, who, he alleged, did everything to derail the Narmada Project.

“You should ask them with what face they are coming to seek votes from you. They did everything to stall the Narmada project for decades together and ensured that no money, including that from the World Bank, was able to come to Gujarat. They were constantly maligning the reputation of Gujarat,” he said.

Attacking the ‘padyatris’ of Rahul’s ”Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Modi said, “People doing padayatra don’t even know how cotton and groundnuts are grown. Some 80 per cent of the country’s salt is made in Gujarat. When we came, we changed the status of Agarias (salt farmers of Kutch). We have encouraged small businesses.”

He said that he was successful in providing 24 hours electricity supply to the people of the state when he was the chief minister.

“When I was the chief minister, I decided to provide 24-hour electricity to Gujarat-which was termed ‘impossible’ by the Congress leaders. But the people inspired me to do this difficult work and that’s why I could deliver 24-hour electricity to the villages in Gujarat in the last 10 years.”

Modi also talked about the farmers and highlighted the government’s introduction of nano fertilizer for the farmers.

The Centre, he said, was getting urea for the farmers at the rate of Rs 2,000 but was selling it to them for Rs 270. The coming days of Surendranagar, he said, would be golden.