Even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is touring his state to “attract” youth to the party, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday likened the young leaders in the grand old party to fishes in an “aquarium” as opposed to those in BJP who are fishes in the “ocean.”

Addressing a rally at Margao, 40 km. from here, Modi said youths in the Congress are not capable to take on challenges while BJP’s youth wing can take rough weather head on. Earlier, Modi in an indirect reference to Gandhi said the “prince” was not able to salvage any pride in Gujarat panchayat elections, despite camping in the state(in recently held Panchayat by-elections last week, BJP won 24 out of 36 seats, Congress won only 11 and independent 1)

“In fact, the Congress lost its base in Gujarat during panchayat elections. Rahul could not do anything,” he said. About Rahul as Congress’s future prime ministerial candidate, Modi said youths in Congress are in politics by the virtue of their father. “In the BJP we have youths who are determined to work for the nation,” he added.

Modi, who arrived in Goa on Saturday is campaigning for BJP’s South Goa candidate Narendra Sawaikar and North Goa candidate Shripad Naik.

At Surat, Modi warns Congress on Nano

Without naming Congress Party”s General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Central leadership of attempting to scuttle the proposed Tata”s Nano car project from the state.

“Government in Delhi finds it difficult to digest development in Gujarat. In particular, some people want to undo the Nano project in Gujarat. I want to tell them that even if the entire army from Delhi is deployed, it will not be able to scuttle the project,” Modi said while addressing a public meeting on Saturday.

“The Delhi people have not been able to make out by now how Modi was able to convince Ratan Tata that he brought the entire project to Gujarat. This is the reason and the leaders who come to Gujarat to puncture the Nano project will not be able to do so,” he added.

He also lashed out at the central government for the plight of diamond workers in Surat.

It may be recalled that Rahul Gandhi in the course of his recent visit to Surat had said that the Modi-led Government had doled out special favours to Tata Motors for shifting the small car project.

By citing Mahatma Gandhi”s philosophy of cottage industry, Rahul had also taunted Modi for being pro-capitalist and encouraging major corporate groups and industrialists but not the small scale sector.

Consequent to Rahul”s visit, certain political analysts have opined that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat apprehends losing its traditional bastion to Congress Party in the state.