After being spurned by Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress launched a scathing attack on the BSP, accusing it of being in cahoots with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Congress drafted Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was in Barabanki on Saturday, to launch the attack on the BSP. Addressing a public meeting in Barabanki, Baghel sought people’s support for prospective Congress candidate Tanuj Punia from the Barabanki Lok Sabha seat. Tanuj is the son of Congress Rajya Sabha member and party general secretary PL Punia.
The Congress projected Baghel as a prominent Kisan leader from the Kurmi community who are in sizeable numbers in Barabanki Lok Sabha reserved constituency.
Urging people of Uttar Pradesh not to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Baghel, alleged that the “BSP actively helped the BJP during the recent assembly election in Chhattisgarh by dividing the anti-BJP votes”.
Baghel said, “Despite the help of the BSP, the BJP could win only 15 seats in Chhattisgarh. If people want to defeat the saffron party in UP, they should vote only for the Congress.”
Addressing another meeting at the GIC ground in Barabanki, Baghel said, “It was we, the Congress workers, who had fought against the British to free the country. Now, we will fight against the ‘chowkidar’-turned-thieves’. The kind of public support that the Congress is getting makes it clear that no one can stop party president Rahul Gandhi from becoming the country’s next prime minister. If voted to power, we will fulfil all the promises made to the farmers, like we did in Chhattisgarh.”
PL Punia also hailed the Congress’ efforts to keep its words. While introducing Baghel to the gathering, Punia said, “Instead of seeking blessings from the elderly and parents, Bhupesh Baghel, after taking the oath as Chief Minister, went straight to his office to sign the file on loan waiver of farmers.”
Punia was elected to Lok Sabha from Barabanki in 2009 parliamentary elections.
After the issues of agrarian crisis and loan waivers reaped good results in the recent assembly elections, the Congress is trying to champion the causes of farmers in UP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The grand old party plans to launch a Kisan Yatra in many parts of the state, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi.