BJP president Amit Shah raked up the issue of the foreign origin of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. He also targeted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his frequent foreign jaunts.
Addressing a rally at Jagatpur (Varanasi) on the 67th birth anniversary of Apna Dal founder Sonelal Patel on Saturday. Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi looks at politics through Italian lenses. He is unable to bear the heat of Indian summers and hence has gone to some cooler destination.’’
"As soon as teh monsoons hit the Indian coast bringing down the mercury, Rahul Gandhi will come back to the country,’’ said the BJP chief.
Targeting the Congress, Shah said that the grand old party of India has become a synonym of corruption and has indulged in corruption and scams at all levels - Westland helicopter scam, coal scam and many others. He rebutted charges levelled by Congress over the performance of the Modi led NDA government which recently completed two years in office.
Accusing the Congress for the all pervasive poverty and deprivation in India, the BJP president said, "Rahul Gandhi never questioned the performance of his ancestors - great grandfather, grandmother and father, who ruled for the last 67 years,’’
"The Congress owes an explanation to the people as to why there a large slice of population were still waiting for basic minimum needs like drinking water and toilet facilities,’’he said.
Shah also targeted Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for his attempts to break ground in UP and his recent forays in east UP district.
"The Bihar CM is unable to handle his state but is trying to become an all India leader. It will be better for him to focus more on handling law and order situation in Bihar where goondas and criminals were ruling the roost.’’
The BJP president also attacked the SP-led UP government alleging that criminals like Mokhtar Ansari, Afzal Ansari and Atiq Ahmed were running the government in tehs state, while the duo of Shivpal Yadav and CM Akhilesh Yadav were engaged in shadow fight over the merger of don's party with the Samajwadi Party.
Shah annolunced that the BJP would contest 2017 Assembly polls in alliance with Apna Dal and would create a new milestone in UP's electoral history.
In his address, state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "The BJP would rid the state of the long spell of SP and BSP misrule. It would ensure that benefits of development and welfare schemes reached every house hold of rural and urban areas," he said.
Prior to addressing the rally, Amit Shah also visited Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples in Varanasi.