Congress general secretary and east UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that except for self-publicity, the Bharatiya Janata Party did nothing during its five-year tenure at the Centre.
Addressing a poll meeting in support of journalist-turned Congress candidate Supriya Shrinate in Maharajganj on Thursday, Priyanka said, “They (BJP) were interested only in self-publicity while farmers, youths and poor were facing all types of problems. I ask the BJP candidate and five-time MP what he has done for the constituency and its people during his long stint in Parliament.”
The Congress star campaigner further charged that the crop insurance premium of over Rs 10,000 crore only fattened the purse of industrialist friends of Modi.
“Demonetisation and GST (Goods and Services Tax) have wreaked the economy while MGNREGA, which had helped farmers during the United Progressive Alliance regime, was weakened,” she said.
“We are confident that after coming to power, the MGNREGA would be strengthened by increasing the labour days from 100 to 150. Labourers would get wages regularly,” she added.
Priyanka accused the prime minister of solely concentrating on marketing strategies and dubbed him “arrogant”.
“In the past five years, Modi was seen going to every place across the world, but he never bothered to meet farmers of his own country,” she said terming the PM anti-farmer.
She lambasted the government over an initiative it took for farmers. “They have announced Rs 6,000 per year for farmers under the Kisan Samman Yojana scheme. But the scheme is an insult to farmers as a family of five would get just Rs 2 per day,” she said.
In comparison, the Congress had announced the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) under which Rs 72,000 would be given every year to each poor family,” the Congress leader said.
Commenting on the job situation, she said, “Five crore jobs were destroyed in the past five years. As many as 24 lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments while 50 lakh people lost their jobs due to demonetisation.” She promised that the Congress would fill vacant posts in government departments.
Priyanka claimed that the BJP’s sole motive was to grab power at any cost but the future of the country was safe only in the hands of Congress and hence people should vote for the party candidate.
“Congress has never lied to the people and has always worked on ground. If our party forms a government at the Centre, it will bring a farmer and development-oriented budget. We want to fight for everyone and hence vote Congress to power at the Centre and strengthen your future,” she exhorted the people, reminding them of the elusive achhey din promised by the BJP during the last parliamentary poll.
In her address, Congress candidate Supriya Shrinate said that the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in politics was the start of a new political era in the country. She urged people of her constituency to be cautious of parties like the BJP which only had jumlebazi to offer.
Maharajganj will witness a triangular contest between sitting BJP candidate Pankaj Chaudhary, Samajwadi Party candidate Akhilesh Singh and Congress’ Supriya Shrinate.
Polling will be held in this constituency on May 19 and the campaigning will end on Friday evening.