Gujarat elections 2017 | Gujarat has fallen behind Maharashtra in 22 years: Prithviraj Chavan

Taking a dig at the famed Gujarat Model of development, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that Gujarat has fallen behind his state in the past 22 years under the BJP rule, and expressed confidence that there will be a change of guard after the polls.

"Gujarat has been left behind by Maharashtra in the last 22 years. This despite the fact that Maharashtra has had coalition governments for the past 20 years, while Gujarat has been ruled by the BJP alone for longer than that," Chavan said addressing mediapersons. The former Maharashtra CM said that Gujarat's rank was sixth in human development indices in 2002, but it has now fallen to 11th.

"In literacy, Gujarat ranks 18th among all states. In admissions in primary schools, it is 22nd, and it is 23rd in delivery of health services," he said quoting data from the Niti Aayog.

Chavan further said that the state has seen Modi Model and not Gujarat Model over the past few years.

"I am calling it Modi Model, because a Gujarat Model would involve the common Gujarati, which is not the case," he said in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also said that it was not befitting the PM to criticise former prime ministers.

He accused Modi and his party of running away from real issues that affect people, and raising temples and other non-issues to divert attention.

The Congress leader also opposed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project saying the money that can put the whole railway infrastructure in place is being spent on a single project.