Rahul Gandhi and Congress are supporters of destruction, says UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

Yogi Adityanath (centre) said the scourge of naxalism, terrorism and corruption were ‘gifts’ of the Congress to the nation. File Photo

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tore into Rahul Gandhi on Friday, dubbing him and the Congress “anti-development” and supporters of “destruction”.

Hailing the Gujarat model of development, which was mocked by the Congress Vice President during his recent rallies in the state, Adityanath said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) is not a supporter of development, but a supporter of destruction. He has supported Ishrat Jahan, a terrorist who was killed by security forces here (in 2004).

Participating in the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Yatra’ in Valsad district, the saffron leader alleged the Congress party has “insulted” Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. “The Congress party is a symbol as well as the messiah of destruction,” he said, adding the scourge of naxalism, terrorism and corruption were “gifts” of the Congress to the nation.

Taking on the Congress Vice President on the development front, the CM claimed that Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi, had not seen any new projects or schemes over a long period. “In the last 14 years, being an MP from Uttar Pradesh, he has not even built an office of the district collector. What can you expect from such a person for the development of Gujarat?” he asked.

Adityanath also questioned the “absence” of Rahul Gandhi when Gujarat battled floods this year. “When Saurashtra was flooded, you went to Italy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes here, Amitbhai Shah (BJP president) comes here, but you cannot visit people at that time,” he said.

Hailing Narendra Modi, he said the Prime Minister had turned development into a movement and the country was on the path of rapid progress. “Uttar Pradesh has adopted the Gujarat model of development and is implementing many schemes,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the UP CM was shown black flags by a group of Congress supporters in Valsad city’s Dharampur road. Three of them were detained by the police and later released.