Taking a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his remark that Gujarat cannot be called a developed state, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that Singh should not mislead the people of the country. Singh had yesterday said in Mumbai that no one could claim that Gujarat was a developed state as around 1,200 people were "butchered" during the 2002 post-Godhra riots there.
"The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, whose chairman is Soniaji, has said that Gujarat is the best state in the country," Modi said during an election rally in Kheda constituency here. "The Planning Commission had set a target of nine per cent growth for the state. And Gujarat is the only state, which has achieved an average growth of 10.4 per cent in the last five years," Modi claimed, adding, "After this, how can the Prime Minister not see development in the state. People in power should not mislead the people of the country."
Responding to another allegation that Muslims in Gujarat were economically backward, Modi said that according to UPA-appointed Sachar Committee report the per capita income of Muslims in Gujarat was the highest in the country.