SURAT/VADODARA: BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for questioning the Gujarat “model of development” and joblessness and said the Congress vice-president should look at the “lack of development” in Amethi from where more than 12,000 people had come to work in the state.

Accusing Congress of spreading canards about Gujarat, Shah said, “Congress is a Party of thugs. Those who come here and talk about unemployment in Gujarat must first provide jobs to youths in their own Lok Sabha constituencies. They must know that youths from Amethi are coming to Gujarat for jobs.”

Shah, on a four-day visit to the state, addressed party workers in Navsari and Godhra on Sunday.

His visit to Navsari came two days after Rahul’s threeday tour of Gujarat. Rahul had scoffed at PM Narendra Modi‘s one crore jobs promise, saying 30 lakh youths were jobless in Gujarat.

“Victory or defeat doesn’t mean anything for the grand old party. Else, how would Rahul Gandhi be leading the party despite a string of electoral defeats in the last three years?” he said in Navsari.

In Godhra, Shah asked partymen to aim for more than 150 seats. “Do not celebrate or burst crackers if we win seats between 90 and 149. Winning 150 plus seats will be the real victory for BJP.”

In Panchmahal and Dahod, he said party members would get a signed letter from PM Modi and launch a doorto-door drive.