Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Chennai on October18, 2013.
, who arrived in Chennai this afternoon, said wryly at the airport that if all the money kept in Swiss banks was got back to the country, it would not have to go looking for gold. (
Highlights of Narendra Modi's speech)
"The whole world is mocking at us. The government is digging for 1000 tonnes of gold based on some information. The Delhi government has money in Switzerland. It's worth more than the 1000 tonnes of gold. We need to bring that money back," Mr Modi said, referring to an excavation that starts today in an Uttar Pradesh village triggered by a local sadhu or sage saying he dreamt that 1000 tonnes of gold are buried under the ruins of a palace. (
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Getting back money stashed in Swiss banks has been a key BJP election agenda for some time.
The Congress reacted immediately, with spokesperson Renuka Choudhary saying, "Narendra Modi speaks without doing his homework. This is a habit. The Geological Survey of India has done its survey on the area and said that there is something buried there."
Mr Modi, the BJP's presumptive Prime Minister for 2014, is in Chennai to attend a book release function and deliver the 2013 Nani Palkhivala memorial lecture at Madras University.
He had hit the campaign trail in the state last month with a rally in Trichy, which he hailed today as a grand success and said it showed that the people of Tamil Nadu wanted change at the Centre.
"Cyclone Phailin could not do anything because there is a cyclone of change in India and that doesn't let any other cyclone do any damage," he said.
There have been protests in Chennai against the visit of the Gujarat Chief Minister, who is right now meeting BJP workers and functionaries at the party headquarters in the city.
It is not known yet whether he will Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, with whom he is said to share great camaraderie.
The BJP has longed hoped that the friendship will translate into a political alliance at the Centre as it makes a bid to oust the Congress-led UPA government in next year's general elections.
Renuka Choudhary said, "Narendra Modi will now understand what national politics is. Let him meet Jayalalithaa. She has been doing national politics for a long time and is a bigger player than Modi."
More than 5,000 police personnel have been deployed in Chennai for the VIP visit.