Rahul Gandhi targets Modi's personal life

Jammu, April 11 (IANS) Targeting BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi's personal life, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Friday said Modi not once mentioned his wife's name in the past.

Addressing an election rally in Doda town of Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhi said: "Narendra Modi has fought many elections in the past, but not once did he disclose the name of his wife nor even admit he is married.

Modi wrote Jashodaben as the name of his wife in an affidavit while filing his nomination papers in Vadodara, Gujarat for Lok sabha election.

"Though their (BJP) posters say in Delhi that they stand for the rights and respect of women, we have a chief minister putting all his efforts on work to spy over a woman."

The Gandhi scion told the rally that his ancestors belonged to Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am originally from here because my ancestors belonged to Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

"We have worked for the empowerment of women like we did in Amethi. We started railways, buliding tunnels and other development projects in the state.

"We fight elections by uniting the people, while the Bharatiya Janata Party fights elections by dividing them," he added.

He appealed people of Udhampur constituency to vote for the Congress candidate, union minister and former state chief minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Azad and president of state Congress party, Saif-ud-Din Soz accompanied him.

He is in the state on a day's visit to campaign for Azad who is the united candidate of the ruling National Conference-Congress alliance from Udhampur.

Although there are 13 candidates in the fray, the main contest is between Azad, BJP's Jitender Singh and Arshid Malik of the regional Peoples Democratic Party.

Balloting in Udhampur will be on April 17.