By Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Three weeks after launching the Congress’s 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly poll campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi, the grand old party’s national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra travelled to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s bastion Gorakhpur on Sunday.
Addressing the Pratigya Rally, she accused the UP CM of running the government contrary to the beliefs and teachings of Guru Gorakhnath.
“While Guru Gorakhnath preached the well being of all, Yogi Adityanath and his government are running opposite to the saint’s thoughts. Instead of working for people, they are attacking the people, particularly the weaker sections,” Priyanka said.
“In present UP, not only the criminals, but the police also are unleashing terror and atrocities on people. Instead of helping needy people, the government is turning its face away from struggles and problems of people,” she said listing series of examples of police torture, including the recent killing of Kanpur based trader Manish Gupta at a hotel in Gorakhpur.
“Properties of people are being bulldozed here and they are terrorised through threats of property confiscation and putting behind bars, this isn’t in line with teachings of Guru Gorakhnath,” she maintained.
Gorakhpur which houses the Gorakhnath Peeth and Temple is the principal seat of the Nath Hindu monastic movement. UP CM Yogi Adityanath, who also hails from the same sect is the present Mahant of the Gorakhnath Peeth and Temple, which has mammoth following across East UP.
She also promised to establish a university in the name of Guru Matsyendranath (Guru of Guru Gorakhnath) if voted to power in 2022 polls.
Trying to strike a chord with the Gorakhpur region, particularly the Nishad (fisherman) community, who are in large numbers in that region of East UP, the Congress leader recounted how a boat of the community was reduced to ashes by police and administration in a village in Prayagraj district.
“If voted to power, fishing will be awarded status of agriculture to render it the same incentives and concessions that are hitherto available to agriculture. The Nishad community will get back it’s right on fishing and sand mining,” Priyanka announced eyeing the vote of the large fisherman community, which was instrumental in the ruling BJP sweeping East UP in 2017 polls.
She also raised other Gorakhpur centric issues, including waterlogging woes and alleged corruption in recruitment in Gorakhpur University.
“When Yogi Adityanath wasn’t the CM, he always hit the ground over the issue. But after becoming the state’s CM, he sees the same areas from the plane.”
Taking a dig at the SP and BSP for spreading canards about the Congress being in hidden understanding with BJP, Priyanka questioned, “The sugar mills were closed during the erstwhile SP and BSP regimes, now the same leaders are accusing us of being in secret pact with the BJP. Why don’t they take the streets in UP for people’s cause against the BJP government. It’s the Congress only, which is fighting for people on the ground. Let me tell one and all, I’ll prefer giving my life, rather than ever aligning with the BJP.”
Jibe at Amit Shah
Taking a jibe at union home minister Amit Shah for claiming on Thursday that not even a single mafia was visible even through binoculars in Yogi Adityanath ruled UP, she said “you (Shah) don’t need binoculars, but instead should’ve used spectacles to see the mafia — union minister of state Ajay Mishra ‘Teni,’ who was standing next to you in Lucknow.”
Remembers grandmother Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary
Priyanka also remembered how her grandmother and ex-PM lost her life for the nation. “I still remember that day when she died. Before going to school, when me and my brother met her, she told us not to cry, if she lost her life. She knew her life was in danger.”
The Congress leader also remembered country’s first deputy PM and home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary.
