Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Upbeat over the massive response to the road show here on Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that his party would contest the coming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with full force.
“The Congress will fight (Lok Sabha polls) with full force in Uttar Pradesh. The party will fight for its ideology. It will fight to change Uttar Pradesh,” said Rahul, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS and BJP of pursuing the ideology of hatred and division.
“On the one side is Congress’ ideology of brotherhood, love and bringing people together, while on the other is RSS, BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ideology of dividing people, spreading hatred and making the country weak,” said Rahul.
“The Congress party is not going to play on the back foot in any state. We will play on the front foot everywhere. This is a fight of ideology,” said Rahul, who along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, general secretaries for east and west Uttar Pradesh respectively, conducted a road show, which received a huge response from the people.
Talking about SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, where 80 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, Rahul said: “I respect Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, but the Congress party will fight with full force. The party will fight for its ideology. It will fight to change Uttar Pradesh.”
It is worth mentioning that SP and BSP have agreed to contest on 38 seats each while deciding not to field candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats which are currently represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi respectively. They have left two seats for the smaller parties.
“The Congress party was started in Uttar Pradesh. It can’t, therefore, be weak in the state. That’s why I have given the job of strengthening Congress party in Uttar Pradesh to Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia,” he said.
“I have told them that the Congress party needs good performance in the Lok Sabha elections, and should also win the UP legislative election and form the government in the state,” said Rahul.
The Congress had won 21 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, but lost 19 seats in 2014 polls. The party was able to retain only Amethi and Rae Bareli seats.
“The youth of Uttar Pradesh, its farmers, Dalits, backward caste people and poor, all of them want the Congress to come to power in the state. They have tried everyone, and all of them have failed in serving them,” he said.
Criticising Prime Minister Modi, Rahul said: “A few days back reports came out the ‘Chowkidaar’ did parallel negotiations in Rafale deal. Prime Minister Modi cancelled the negotiations of the Air Force. People of the Air Force and Defence Ministry say ‘Chowkidaar chor hai.”
“In every defence deal, there is a clause against corruption that states if there will be corruption, then the Government of India can investigate the matter. It states the contract can be cancelled if required,” he said. “Prime Minister Modi cancelled the clause over corruption. He gave people’s Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani,” he said.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]