Somewhere in Chennai....

In his first-ever election rally in the city on Saturday, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi tore into the UPA’s record of governance and singled out finance minister P Chidambaram for criticism.
Hitting back at Chidambaram for saying that “Modi’s knowledge of economics can be put on the back of a postage stamp,” the Gujarat CM said one needs a postage stamp to deliver a letter. “I have proved my delivery,” he said. He went on to compare his handling of Gujarat’s economy with that of the country by the UPA government over the past decade.
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee stepped down as Prime Minister in 2004, India’s GDP was growing at 8%. “But today, by your own estimates, the GDP growth in 2012-13 is only 4.5%.” Modi went on to reel out statistics on Gujarat. He said when he took over the reins of Gujarat in 2001, the state’s GSDP growth rate was -4.8%. “Today, after a decade, Gujarat is growing in double digits — at 10.1%,” he said.
“The Congress government is headed by a Prime Minister who is a reputed economist. The finance minister also thinks he is a very intelligent economist. He (Chidambaram) thinks no one is more intelligent than him. But if this is what you have achieved with your knowledge of economics, it speaks volumes about the UPA government’s inability,” he said.
He went on to compare his academic credentials with that of Chidambaram. “This finance minister came from Harvard. I went to a village school and have come up through hard work. Will the country’s fortune be decided by Harvard or hard work?” he asked.
All through his speech, Modi stressed on work culture and said the absence of one at the Centre was very evident. And displaying pragmatism, he was careful not to criticize the ruling AIADMK or the DMK and their leaders.