Narendra Modi begins BJP's poll campaign, targets dual power centres in Congress and unemployment

NEW DELHI: Gujarat chief minister NarendraModi on Sunday attacked the central government over issues ranging from dual power centres in the Congress to jobless growth and the aspirations of Kashmiri youth while addressing his first rally since being anointed chairman of the BJP's national campaign committee.

A day after touring the site of devastation in Uttarakhand, Modi, the BJP's presumptive prime ministerial candidate, seemed to have a firm eye on the next Lok Sabha elections as he spoke at at Madhopur in Punjab's Pathankot district on the 60th death anniversary of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

"There are two bosses in the country and we do not know who is genuine," he said, apparently referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as he recalled Mookerjee's slogan against two heads in one system and said a similar situation existed in the country now.

Modi also reached out to the youth in Kashmir, saying the government should integrate them with the national mainstream. "The youth in Kashmir valley want to be part of development. Guns can spill blood but will do no good to one's life," he said, attacking the Centre's Kashmir policy and signalling a willingness to adopt a softer approach on sensitive issues.

"(Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee had sought to win over the heart of Kashmir with compassion, love and dialogue...Had he been elected to power in 2004, he would have succeeded in his Kashmir policy," said Modi, who shared the stage with BJP's ally, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The chief minister also attacked the Congress-led coalition for its handling of the economy, saying its weak leadership messed up the economy and confounded the problem of unemployment. Comparing the slide in the rupee with the Congress, Modi said the two were "competing as to who can fall more".

The attack came in the backdrop of the NSSO findings showing a 10.2 per cent increase in the unemployment rate between January 2010 and 2012. Formal unemployment has risen from 9.8 million to 10.8 million over two years.

It pointed out that during the NDA government's rule, more than 60 million jobs were created despite slower growth, prompting the BJP to cite the data as vindication of its stand that its economic management was better than that of the Congress.

Modi, who has been getting the highest approval ratings among the prime ministerial aspirants ahead of the next elections, also reinforced the central theme of his speech at the Goa conclave where he was named the chief of the committee. "For the future of this country and the bright future for the youth of this country we have to bring a Congress-free governance," Modi said.