Uma translates Modi model for Digvijay country

And then she went on to provide her answers: ‘‘The message from Gujarat is clear and it is a message for Madhya Pradesh and the whole country. Firstly, the politics of minorityism (alpsankhyakvaad) cannot work. There is a place for minorities in India but there is no place for minorityism.

Secondly, and this is a message more for Sonia than India, she cannot be the Prime Minister of this country in this birth. She should pray to be born again in this country where she can live through the sacrifices of an ordinary political worker if she has to achieve this dream in her next birth.

And lastly, people will not tolerate an insult to their Bhartiyata, they will take revenge on whoever insults their pride.’’ The stress on the insult to rashtriya swabhiman (national pride) in a state where regional identity is not such a strong factor seemed Bharati’s substitute for Gujarati gaurav, which Modi had emphasised. And in her speech—just as Modi had done—she connected this issue with Sonia’s foreign origin.

‘‘The Congress has ended where it started,’’ Bharati said. ‘‘It was headed by an angrez then and is headed by an Italian woman now. Those who accept a videshi mahila (foreign woman) as their leader cannot understand the meaning of rashtriya swabhiman (national pride).’’

Earlier speaking to the media, Bharti said that while roads, electricity, unemployment and water were the issues for this election, Hindutva was not an issue, rather it was a sentiment.

And she sent an early warning signal to Chief Minister Digvijay Singh: ‘‘We want to fight the elections on issues such as roads and electricity but if Digvijay makes the same mistakes as the Congress did in Gujarat, then the same thing will be repeated here. Digvijay seems to be in the mood for making these mistakes. He has announced the setting up of a Bhopal Muslim University on the pattern of Aligarh University. We are for education for Muslims, we want them to emerge out of backwardness, to take up technical education but to tell them they are separate, to encourage separatist tendencies damages the nation. If Digvijay makes such mistakes then the results will emerge in three to four months.’’

Next on her list was terrorism. She slammed the Congress for comparing Indira Gandhi’s actions in 1971 with the current situation. ‘‘They forget the problem of terrorism. This is a problem that has been created by the Congress. Pakistan doesn’t have the temerity to do this, we can destroy that country when we want. But it chooses to attack from the rear and the flanks rather than fight face to face. In the past three wars, we have won the war and lost territory or failed to keep what we have won. This time if there is a war, the saffron flag will fly as far as the Indian Army goes.’’

Earlier in the day, the party began by holding a closed-door meeting of senior functionaries of Satna district. The same pattern is to be repeated throughout the state with rallies extending up to March 8. The other speakers at the rally included BJP state president Kailash Joshi and leader of opposition in the State Assembly Babulal Gaur.

Both their speeches were directed clearly on the failure of the Digvijay government over power, roads and law and order. But clearly the show belonged to Bharati, through the evening the crowds had waited to hear her speak and the response she obtained was more than enthusiastic.