Joins brother Rahul in attacking Modi during election campaign in Rae Bareli

Making her much-awaited debut in the campaign for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined her brother and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday in attacking Prime Minister Narenda Modi for his claim of being the “adopted son” of the State.

If Ms. Vadra argued that U.P. did not require an “outsider” to develop it, Mr. Gandhi told the Prime Minister that relationships were not built by just talk but they need nurturing and fulfilling of promises. The siblings attacked Mr. Modi for the distress caused to people by demonetisation.

“PM Modi said Varanasi has adopted him and since he is the son of U.P., he will develop U.P. I ask, does U.P. need to adopt an outsider? Does U.P. not have youth who are capable of developing it,” Ms. Vadra asked at a meeting at Maharajganj in Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of her mother, Sonia Gandhi. Ms. Vadra went on to assert that Mr. Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, chief of the Samajwadi Party, were the two youths who would develop the most populous State.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with his sister Priyanka Vadra during an election rally at Rae Bareli on Friday. | Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

‘Sons of soil’

She hailed her brother and Mr. Akhilesh as the true sons of the soil. “They have U.P. in their hearts and lives. U.P. does not need any outsider. The youth here is capable of developing U.P. Here, any youth can become the leader,” she said.

In her short but focussed speech, Ms. Gandhi urged voters to identify those who “only lie and make hollow promises” from “those who actually work for you”. She targeted the Modi government for the distress due to demonetisation faced by the common people, especially to women. “He talks about women’s harassment in U.P., but what about the torture people had to face due to demonetisation,” Ms. Vadra asked referring to the long queues outside banks.

While claiming that during the tenure of her father, Rajiv Gandhi, Amethi had witnessed development, Ms. Vadra asked the crowd to enquire from the people of Varanasi, Mr. Modi’s constituency, of the work the Prime Minister had done there since coming to power.

“All I want to say is enough of false promises,” she said urging voters to look through the “hollow speeches” of Mr. Modi. Mr. Gandhi, who spoke before her, maintained a similar line of attack against Mr. Modi — raking up his “adopted son” remark and criticising Mr Modi’s attempts to connect himself with Varanasi.

In an attempt to draw a connect with U.P. voters, Mr. Modi said on Thursday at a meeting in Hardoi that though he was born in Gujarat, U.P. had adopted him, and that he would not betray his mai baap.

Congress supporters at the election rally at GIC Ground at Rai Bareli on Friday. | Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

‘PM must keep promises’

Responding to it, Mr. Gandhi said: “Modiji, rishte bolne se nahi bante, nibhane se bante hai, vaide pure karne se bante hai (Relationships develop not by talking but through nurturing and fulfilling promises).”

The Gandhi scion accused Mr. Modi of failing to fulfil promises made to Varanasi and “Mother Ganga,” terming his words “hollow and weightless”.

“Modiji went to Varanasi and said Ganga was his mother and he was the son of Varanasi. He made many promises to Varanasi … clean Ganga, ghats, free WiFi, a Bhojpuri Film City. Modiji, you have not even fulfilled the promises you made to your mother,” Mr. Gandhi said.

While people were promised the ache din of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Shahrukh Khan’s blockbuster of the 1990s, they had got nothing more than Gabbar, the dacoit-villain in Sholay during the two-and-a-half years of the Modi government, he said,