launching a frontal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi exhorted party workers and leaders to brace up so that the Congress could form the next Government in Uttar Pradesh.
Amidst an encouraging congregation of party workers, probably the biggest after Congress slided into political oblivion in UP, Gandhi promised to restore the Gandhi family's legacy of redressing the problems of the masses.
"I am busy visiting the length and breadth of the country. But, I assure you all to hold weekly Janata Darshan so that you can meet me and share your problems," said Rahul while replying a question that the Gandhis did not have time to meet common people.
Attacking the SP Government on law and order front, Gandhi said that the police stations in UP have turned into 'offices of a political party" due to the situation has worsened. "This decadent system will certainly change, once Congress comes to power," he asserted while replying to a question of a Congress worker from Jaunpur.
Gandhi, who addressed an open interactive session for the first time in the country to motivate the party cadre aiming to return to power, moved up and down the ramp at Rama Bai Ambedkar ground to answer the questions asked by the workers. A day after hurling the "Arhar (a lentil) Modi" jibe at PM Narendra Modi in the Parliament over spiralling dal prices in the country, the focus of Rahul's attack veered around Modi and he did not let go any opportunity.
"Modiji promised Bullet Train whose tickets will be not less than `1,5000. Only Modiji and his affluent friends will travel in it while the poor will only be able to watch it,"
he said.
"Modiji focuses on the richest man, while the Congress focuses on the poorest man. When a farmer sells his pulses, Modiji gives him Rs 50, but when the same farmer buys his own pulses from the market he has to pay Rs 200," he pointed out.
He alleged that the PM was merely working for a coterie of select industrialists and sought to know when the prices of pulses would come down.
To another question, Rahul defended the party's CM face Sheila Dikshit over her age, and clarified, "Sheilaji has changed the face of Delhi. People of Delhi repent the mistake they did by voting for a party which is interested in enacting drama and no work," he said.
Rahul Gandhi also castigated the three opposition parties for trying to divide the state over caste and communal lines. "Various parties have come to power in UP during the last 27 years. Some made people fight on Hindu-Muslim lines...but none talked about the state's development. There was a time when UP was in the forefront. Dont worry, the state will once again wrest the number one slot," he said.
In a no-holds-barred attack on his rivals, Rahul said that dominant parties in the state have indulged in 'politics of lying'. "Congress is one party that does not believe in pitting one against the other for narrow political gains," he said while interacting with the audience.
On being asked about incidents of Dalit atrocity, the Congress leader said that the weaker sections were suppressed all over the country -be it in Gujarat, Haryana or Uttar Pradesh. "Wherever atrocities have been committed on Dalits, I have vistsed those places and the families as the Congress always stands for Dalits, farmers, minorities and tribals," he said.
On being asked which party would give the Congress a tought fight in the polls, Rahul said, "If the Congress stands together, if we fight for our ideology and give voice to the workers, then no party can defeat us. We will fight and take UP to the top spot. The party will fight with a plan," he said.
"Congress is fighting to form the government in UP and also to change the lives of the people. We are not here to merely increase seats," the Congress vice-president clarified to another question.
On turncoats joining the Congress recently leading to slighting of workers, Gandhi said, "We do want to take people from other parties as Congress workers come first. We also want to promote youth and field them," he said.
In all, Gandhi took 50 questions during his three-hour-long interaction coined 'UP Udghosh'.
Senior leaders includign AICC general secretary and UP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azamd, state chief Raj Babbar, CM face Sheila Dikshit, RS member Sanjay Singh and others were present during the session.