In a strategic electoral move, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday invoked Guru Gorakhnath, whose temple in Gorakhpur is headed by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, to attack the BJP government in the state and said that Gorakhnath's teachings were not being followed by his own disciples.
Addressing a public meeting at Gorakhpur, the home town of Adityanath, Priyanka also invoked former prime minister Indira Gandhi and said that like her, she (Priyanka) would never "break the trust" of the people.
The Congress leader, who began her speech by greeting the crowd in chaste Bhojpuri, once again cornered prime minister Narendra Modi over rising prices and sale of national assets, including Air India.
She also attacked union home minister Amit Shah for sharing the dais with his junior colleague Ajay Mishra, whose son Ashish Mishra was accused of mowing down four farmers with his SUV at Lakhimpur Kheri.
"The BJP says that no development took place in 70 years.....I say that seventy years of hard work was destroyed by the BJP government in just seven years," Priyanka said.
"Goonda elements are having a free run in the state....in this government innocent people are being killed by both the goondas and the police," she said referring to the alleged killing of a Kanpur-based businessman by cops in Gorakhpur a few days back.
"What we are witnessing in UP is completely against the teachings of Guru Gorakhnath," she said and promised to set up a university after Guru Matsyendra Nath, the guru of Gorakhnath, at Gorakhpur in the event of Congress forming the next government in the state.
Priyanka also announced to provide government jobs to ten lakh people, hike the wages of Anganwadi and Asha workers, free ride for girls in government buses and three free gas cylinders in a year.
"We were taught about sacrifice by our grandmother Indira Gandhi....on the day she was assassinated she had told my brother (Rahul Gandhi) not to cry if something happens to her," she said.
"Indiraji never betrayed the people...we too will never do that," she added.
Earlier this month Priyanka had addressed a public meeting at Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Modi.
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