Modi plays water card to woo voters

Narendra Modi is now playing the water card in north Gujarat, which goes to the polls on Sunday.

Perhaps an indication that things haven't quite gone according to plan.

Water from various dams is being reached across to villages in Mehsana, Patan and Sabarkantha districts through narrow sub-canals like in Anwarpura village in Sabarkantha.

Overnight sub-canals are being dug, even though construction for the main canals is not yet over. Even the local farmers are surprised to see this sudden inflow of water.

''Its almost been fifteen days, we have started seeing water flowing through this canal. We are so happy it is going to help us in farming at a lower cost as we won't require to dig wells and pay for electricity consumption,'' said Vipul Patel, farmer, Sabarkantha.

''Finally water has arrived. We are getting water it is going to help us immensely,'' said Ambalal Patel, farmer, Mehsana.

Such is the desperation to win votes that parched lands are now getting water, something that has not happened during the six years of Modi rule.

The Congress is crying foul. ''We have been observing this also. It is a complete breach of code of conduct set by EC and the officials and BJP leaders who are doing this by digging canals overnight and reaching water temporarily to farmers, should be dealt accordingly by the Commission,'' said Jayantilal Parmar, spokesperson, Congress.

But the BJP finds nothing wrong in farmers being given water during harvest time.

''BJP government here under leadership of Modi has been working for benefits of farmers which Congress during its rule could not do they don't have any other issue but to wreck up things like this which won't help them,'' said Prakash Javadekar, spokesperson, BJP.

But even as water is supplied to woo voters, areas closer to the pipelines, like a Muslim-dominated area are not even getting drinking water. Modi has never considered Muslims to be a votebank and thus there is discrimination even in the supply of water.