Rahul Blows Congress’ Poll Bugle in UP; Tears Into Modi

Addressing Congress workers, Rahul voiced confidence that his party will come to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the party’s CM candidate Sheila Dikshit during a party programme in Lucknow on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

A day after lobbing “arhar (lintel) Modi” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over spiralling prices in the country, Rahul held his maiden interaction ‘UP Udghosh’ with the party’s district, block and booth level workers and responded to their random questions, an idea mooted by poll strategist Prashant Kishor.

In a no-holds-barred attack on his rivals, Rahul said BSP, SP and BSP, dominant parties in the state, have indulged in “politics of lying”.

Congress is one party that does not believe in pitting one person against another for narrow political gains

he said as he interacted with the audience.

On being asked about the incidents of Dalit atrocity, the Congress leader said the weaker sections were suppressed all over the country, be it in Gujarat, Haryana or Uttar Pradesh.

Wherever atrocities have been committed on Dalits, I have rushed to those places as Congress always stands for Dalits, farmers, minorities and tribals

he said.

To a question whether Dikshit was fit enough to be projected as Congress’s chief ministerial candidate, he said she has vast experience.

Sheila has changed the face of Delhi. People in Delhi repent the mistake they did by voting for a party which is more interested in doing drama and no work

he said.

Rahul voiced confidence that his party will come to power in the state for which, he said, Congress workers should make people aware of the party’s policies and programmes by staying united and transcending barriers of “groupism and petty rivalry”.

This was the first major interactive session of Rahul after he along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched the party’s election campaign by flagging of the “27 saal, UP behaal” yatra earlier this month from New Delhi. (Inputs: PTI)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj