AAP's pre-poll promises deceptive, Gujarat voters won't trust them: Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the pre-poll promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to Gujarat voters were deceptive in nature and the people of the state will not fall for them.

The senior Congress observer for Gujarat Assembly polls said the AAP, which insulted Mahatma Gandhi by removing his photographs from Delhi government offices, was now doing election campaigning in the home state of the Father of the Nation.

Seeking to downplay the AAP's entry in the Gujarat Assembly elections, due by the year-end, Gehlot exuded confidence the people of the state will not trust the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit's pre-poll "guarantees".

In an apparent attack on the AAP government in Delhi, the Congress leader said Those who insulted Mahatma Gandhi by removing his photographs from government offices in their state are now doing poll campaigning in Gujarat, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel."

He was addressing party MLAs, office-bearers and other leaders at the Gujarat Congress headquarters here as part of the opposition outfit's preparedness for the upcoming poll battle in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.

Expressing confidence about his party winning the polls, Gehlot, without taking the AAP's name, said Though the Congress is out of power for the last 27 years, our workers have always remained by people's side and raised their issues all these years.

The people of Gujarat will not put trust in deceptive poll promises of some opportunists."

He said the people of Gujarat very well know it was the Congress which built schools, government hospitals, ports, industrial estates, large industries and major highways during its long stint in power in the western state.

Gehlot was accompanied by Congress general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal.

In his address, Venugopal announced that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit Gujarat on September 5 to address party workers, especially those who are in-charge of election booths.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia are touring Gujarat for the last two days to strengthen the AAP's base in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

In the last few weeks, Kejriwal, during his multiple visits to Gujarat, has announced a series of pre-poll "guarantees" related to jobs, unemployment dole, education, free electricity and monthly allowance to women, among others.