Only the looters of the nation can think about dacoits, he says in an obvious reference to Rahul Gandhi recently terming the new tax system ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday targeted Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for calling the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ and said “those who looted the country could only think of dacoits.”

Addressing a poll rally in Navsari, near diamond city Surat, the Prime Minister said a recently surfaced “economist” was propagating stupid thoughts on GST and even suggested that the rates be capped at 18%, which means that the same tax rate be charged for salt and liquor and luxury cars costing ₹5 crore.

“Is this your smartness that you want to make goods used by poor like clothes, food items and footwear costlier and liquor and cigarettes used by rich cheaper by keeping the rate at 18%,” Mr. Modi said.

In Navsari, Mr. Gandhi had earlier interacted with traders, businessmen and entrepreneurs regarding GST, which has adversely impacted businesses in Surat. Mr. Modi addressed four rallies: at the Patidar-dominated ceramic hub Morbi, the famous pilgrimage centre Prachi near Somnath, the Jain pilgrimage centre Palitana and Navsari.

In all his speeches, the Prime Minister focused on the Nehru-Gandhi family and the “anti-Gujarat mindset” of the Congress party and national issues like Doklam and surgical strikes conducted by the Army.

On Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Somnath temple, Mr. Modi asked him why his great grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) was opposed to building a temple there.

“Without Sardar Patel, there would not have been a temple in Somnath but now some people are remembering Somnath. I want to ask, have you forgotten the history of your family that your great grandfather and first Prime Minister was not keen with the proposal to build a temple there,” Mr. Modi said, campaigning in the OBC-dominated belt in coastal Saurashtra.

In Navsari, he briefly halted his speech during Azan. He said there were three elections under way in the country: Gujarat polls, local elections in U.P. and Congress president election. BJP was sure to win the first two while the third one would be won by the family.

Again invoking the ‘son- of-the-soil’ sentiment, Mr. Modi said, “The Congress hates development, Gujarat and Modi and have hatred for the poor also.”