CM launches poll campaign from Gkp; in Vns, likens PM to Lord Ram, Krishna

Terming the Congress’s minimum income guarantee announcement a smokescreen and the biggest mockery of the poor, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the real well-wisher of the poor as he was already extending financial benefits to them.

He said that the benefits being extended to the poor included Rs five lakh for health under Ayushman Yojna, Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 1.2 lakh for houses in urban and rural areas, 90 days job payments under MNREGs, Rs 6,000 annual payment to farmers (under the Kisan Nidhi scheme) and Rs 12,000 for toilet construction.

Continuing his tirade against the Congress, Adityanath said that leaders of the party remember the Temple issue only at the time of elections but forget it in the remaining five years. “One family tries to create confusion by visiting temples during elections but forgets it in the rest of the five years. During polls, they visit Lord Vishwanath and Lord Shankar but sit there in a manner similar to offering Namaaz.”

Addressing the Vijay Sankalp Rally, while kicking off the poll campaign in his hometown, the CM said, “Forty-eight years back PM Indira Gandhi had given the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ but the Congress could not do so albeit it blocked the country’s progress by giving birth to starvation, corruption, anarchy, naxalism and terrorism. The Rs 70,000 promise is nothing but eyewash.”

He appealed to the people to vow to bring back Modi, by coining a new slogan ‘Is bar chauhattar par, ek bar phir Modi sarkar (This time 74+ seats from UP to bring back Modi.)

Accusing the Congress of not having a clear stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism, the CM sought a public apology by Congress president Rahul Gandhi over a statement made by veteran congress leader Sam Pitroda.

“Sam Pitroda has brought shame to the nation by his remark on Pulwama. He glorified the act of terrorism with his comment. The Congress has never cleared its stand on terrorism. It will feed biryani to terrorists but we (BJP) kill them by firing shots,” he added.

Enumerating the development under the Modi regime, he mentioned the setting up of AIIMs and revival of the closed fertiliser factory in Gorakhpur, four-lane connectivity between Gorakhpur and Sonauli, air connectivity between Gorakhpur and other cities. The CM said that what was namumkin (impossible) during the SP, BSP and Congress governments was mumkin (possible) in the Modi Government. He listed 13 crore LPG connections during the Modi tenure against equal number of connection in the six-decade rule of the Congress regime, one crore electricity connections, and others.

In Varanasi, Adityanath recalled the washing of feet of sanitation workers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Kumbh in Prayagraj and said that the act reminded of Treta and Dwapar Yug and is the best example of social harmony.

“PM Modi took a holy dip in the Sangam. Later, he washed the feet of sanitation workers and gave the best message of social harmony. The washing of feet of sanitation workers by the PM reminded of Treta Yug and Dwapar Yug. While Lord Ram ate jhoonthe berries of Shabari in Treta Yuga, Lord Krishan washed feet of Sudama in Dwapar Yug,” Yogi said, adding that PM Modi tried to awaken the same feeling again.

First Published: Mar 27, 2019 12:11 IST