BJP on ventilator, says Rahul

“You (people) defeat the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). I will not like to even mention the name of the BJP.

It is lying on the ventilator and it will be switched off after the poll,” Rahul said while addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district, about 250 km from here.

He also referred to the “India Shining” slogan coined by the BJP during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and said while the nation had progressed it was not shining.

 “The progress has not reached the villages and small towns,” he said. Rahul also lambasted the BSP government in the state for, what he alleged, misusing Central funds on statues and parks instead of using them for the development of the state.

“There is an elephant (BSP election symbol) in Lucknow. It eats away your (public) money,” he alleged exhorting the people to bring back the Congress to power in the state.

Rahul also termed the BSP and SP “anti-farmer” and said the Land Acquisition Bill would be introduced and also passed in Parliament during the winter session.

The Congress leader is currently on a five-day long mass contact programme in eight districts in the central and eastern region of the state. The visit will end on Saturday with a public rally in Kushinagar  district.

Meanwhile, the BSP reacted sharply to Rahul’s remark that UP Chief Minister Mayawati never bothered to visit the homes of poor. “Rahul is not familiar with BSP’s history.
Mayawati and BSP founder Kanshiram always used to visit slums, villages and poor peoples’ homes,” state BSP president S P Maurya said.