At a meeting held at the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office here, the leaders criticised the state BJP government for “breaking people’s bone” by imposing hikes in power tariff.

Chairing the session, GPCC president Siddharth Patel asked party functionaries to establish live contact with people in all the 225 talukas to convey achievements of the UPA government at the Centre and failures of the BJP government in Gujarat.

On election preparedness, Patel informed the gathering that booth committees in 170 talukas have been formed and women and youth wing meetings were proving a success in those areas. He called for further intensifying their drive of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

AICC general secretary in-charge of GPCC B K Hari Prasad urged party workers to make the Congress more visible in interior areas by putting up hoardings, party flags and slogans on walls to carry forward the message that the UPA government was achieving major milestones. Congress Legislative Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil lambasted Chief Minister Narendra Modi for running an illusive campaign of Vibrant Gujarat to mislead people.

He also asked party workers to become active at booth and block levels.

Former PCC chief Bharatsinh Solanki told the functionaries to convert the ‘current pro-Congress’ environment among people into a storm. Executive presidents of PCC Kunvarji Bavalia and Dr Tushar Chaudhary also addressed the meeting attended among others by Dr Urmilaben Patel, Narhari Amin, Himmatsinh Patel, Raju Parmar, Chandrikaben Chudasama, Khurshid Saiyed and Gaurav Pandya.

Meanwhile, GPCC general secretary Nishit Vyas has written to Modi asking him to justify sops given to big industries, while ignoring the plight of small units and farmers. He has also asked the CM to reduce VAT on goods instead of wasting income of the exchequer on yatras and festivals.