Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers to Narmada River during the inauguration of Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadiya in Narmada district on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

The Congress is on the offensive over Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicating the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation yesterday when he turned 67. The principal opposition party criticised the BJP government yesterday itself, and today it posted a Twitter quiz on Sarovar Sarovar Dam hoping to garner some support.

However, the Congress was heavily trolled over Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Often described as "Gujarat's lifeline", the Sardar Sarovar Dam took 56 years to build. It is well-known that the foundation stone of the project was laid by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961.

Prime Minister Modi said the Sardar Sarovar Dam will benefit lakhs of farmers and help fulfil people's aspirations.

But the Congress accused the BJP for using the Narmada Dam Project as a poll gimmick. As Gujarat goes to polls later this year, the Congress turned to the social media hoping to garner some credit for the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

CONGRESS' QUIZ

It asked the obvious question about the prime minister who had laid the foundation stone of the Sardar Sarovar Dam with the hashtag 'Know your legacy'. As options, it gave the names of former prime ministers IK Gujral, Jawaharlal Nehru, AB Vajpayee and Indira Gandhi.

Which Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project? #KnowYourLegacy &; Congress (@INCIndia) September 18, 2017

The twitterati seemed to be more interested in trolling the Congress instead of giving an answer. They blamed the Congress for the delay in the implementation of the project and accused it of trying to take the credit.

In counter to the Congress' quiz, some posed counter quiz to put the party on the defensive.

Which Govt.fails to inaugurate Sardar Sarovar Dam project even though rule 60 years in Democracy - Ankita Chaurasia???? (@Ankita84sia) September 18, 2017

Which Prime Minister delayed the Sardar Sarovar Dam project? #KnowYourLegacy &; Chch Chºdhry? (@VChaudhary_in) September 18, 2017

When did construction start &; nithean (@nitheankumaar7) September 18, 2017

The real question is it took 56 years to complete a dam. Is congress presenting a picture of its inefficiency. ?? @OfficeOfRG &; Amit Gupta (@amitgupta2016) September 18, 2017

First Cong PM of India laid the Stone . But ... Even the Last Cong PM was not able to inaugurate the damPls Don't Cry Now ..Ur time over &; Sreenivas R Kartha (@kartha123) September 18, 2017

It's a symbol of your inefficiency . Took it 59 years and Modi rule to be built. Doesn't matter who laid the stone. &; Dr. Aayush Jha (@AyushjhaJha) September 18, 2017

The question should be who brought Sardar Sarovar Dam to fruition.It is Modi.It is action that counts,not mere paperwork. &; Rk malhotra (@Rkmalhotra12) September 18, 2017

Which leader conceived the idea Sardar Sarovar Yojna before Nehru? Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. &; Jayesh Shah (@JayeshVardhman) September 18, 2017

Iska jawab do phir Poll Karo pic.twitter.com/KQIBVXWgef &; Sanju (@Pune16Sanjay) September 18, 2017

Rahul Gandhi along withManish Tewari & Digvijay Singh#KnowYourLegacy &; Piyush Singh ???? (@singhpiyush_) September 18, 2017

Congress should learn from AAP specially on education ,electricity and health . All education & Health mafias were created by congress

Some others held the Congress responsible for the inordinate delay in the implementation of the ambitious project.Going a step further, some sought to give credit to India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who hailed from Gujarat, for the project. They highlighted the fact that Sardar Patel had conceived the project.On Prime Minister Modi's yesterday, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had kicked up a controversy by posting an abusive tweet. The Congress was attacked even today by way of replies to this quiz.Someone sought to remind the Congress of the work being bone by the AAP government in Delhi led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and asked it to learn from them.

ATTACK ON BJP

The Congress has lashed out at the BJP over the Narmada Dam project. It sought to point out the shortcomings in the project.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused Prime Minister Modi of indulging in "misconceived electoral hype, hyperbole and hoopla by yet again inaugurating the Sardar Sarovar Dam". He alleged that the BJP was using the world's second largest dam built by the painstaking efforts of the Congress party and people of Gujarat as an electoral gimmick.

Surjewala said except the Narma Dam project, rest of the 'Gujarat Model' was ingrained with "fakery, doublespeak, fallaciousness and falsehood". The BJP is ruling Gujarat since the past 22 years and not even 20 per cent of the canal network, creating minors and sub-minors, has been completed, he said.

The Congress spokesperson gave credit for the Sardar Sarovar Dam to Pt Nehru and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. "From the laying of the foundation stone by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961 up till 1987, when its construction work was stalled for environmental reasons and litigations, there were a multitude of insurmountable road blocks. It was under the leadership of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi that each blockade was cleared conscientiously and 90 per cent of the work was approved for completion.

VYING FOR CREDIT

An advance peek is available into the forthcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Sardar Sarovar Dam will be a major plank in the state polls. Moreover, both the BJP and the Congress will compete to take credit for it.

The BJP will also project the ground breaking ceremony of bullet train as one of its major achievements. This Assembly election would be fought for the first time after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, both hailing from Gujarat, taking over as prime minister and BJP president respectively.

The Congress would seek to prick holes in the BJP's claims of undertaking development in the state. It has already fired a salvo by launching a campaign with the Gujarati slogan 'Bhajapno vikas gando thayo chhey' (BJP's development has gone crazy).

The main opposition party would counter all claims of the BJP in the run up to the elections. The choice would be up to the voters whether to trust the BJP or the Congress.

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