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Launching a broadside against Narendra Modi on his home turf, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Saturday called the BJP's prime ministerial candidate a "property dealer for corporates like Ambani, Adani and Tatas".
Addressing his maiden rally in Gujarat on the concluding day of his four-day "fact-finding" tour on the development claims made by Modi, Kejriwal said the Gujarat chief minister denied him appointment yesterday because he was "afraid" of facing him.
"People of Gujarat are fed up of corruption and want a change. Corruption is rampant in the state and education and health services are in shambles," Kejriwal said at the rally held after his roadshow.
"As the Haryana chief minister is the property dealer for Robert Vadra, the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is property dealer for Adani, Ambani and Tatas.
"He acquires land from farmers and gives (it) to industrialists at throwaway prices," Kejriwal alleged.
The former Delhi chief minister said he came to know from people that Modi uses helicopters and planes allegedly belonging to Mukesh Ambani.
Kejriwal said Modi's refusal to meet him on Friday indicates that he is afraid of him.
"I was stopped five kilometres away from his (Modi's) residence when I went to meet him to discuss development. I am not a terrorist, I am a former chief minister... I do not know why Modi is afraid of meeting me," Kejriwal said.
"Modi claims all over the country that Gujarat is a corruption-free state. Suppose he becomes the PM. Then what will he do? He will go to America and tell the people there that India is a corruption-free country," Kejriwal said.
He claimed sufficient compensation is not given to the farmers whose lands are taken away by the state.
"People are just getting Rs 90,000 per acre for the land with the market price of Rs 50 lakh per acre," the AAP leader claimed.
Noting that Modi had earlier slammed the Jammu and Kashmir government over Article 370 which prevents outsiders from buying land in the state, Kejriwal said he had passed similar orders in Gujarat in 2010.
"Modi has been continuously claiming that Gujarat has 11 per cent growth rate in agriculture. But when we checked the state government's website, we found the growth rate has been negative," he said.
Kejriwal also attacked Modi for failing to provide security for him. "If he cannot provide security to the former chief minister (of Delhi), how will he be able to protect the six crore Gujaratis?" the AAP leader said.
"I am grateful that I am alive," Kejariwal said.
Image: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi