Poll scene heats up in Uttar Pradesh with Priyanka-Yogi face-off

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had her first face-off with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today when she junked his report card that claimed the “state has become a better place” under BJP government.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference at the state BJP headquarters on the completion of two years of his government, Adityanath on Tuesday said the state has become a better place and crime has gone down since his government came to power. “We will present a report card of the work done by our government,” he said. He added that the state has not seen a single riot after the BJP came to power and his two-year government had shown zero tolerance towards crime and criminals.

Priyanka, who has been recently named Congress’s general secretary for the Uttar Pradesh (East) region, rubbished the claim. “Report card, promotions, all of it sounds good but there’s nothing on ground. I’m meeting people every day, they are in distress,” she told ANI.

In a pit-stop during her three-day boat-ride on the Ganga from Prayagraj to Varanasi to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, she said the BJP’s statement about the Congress not doing anything for the past 70 years is “past its expiry date”.

“The BJP’s repeated statements that the Congress has not done anything for 70 years has an expiry date and that expiry date has gone,” she said when mediapersons asked her to respond to the BJP’s critique of the Congress.

On Monday UP Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma commented that “every election is a picnic for the Gandhi family”.

“For the Gandhi family, every election is a picnic. They come, they see and resort to rhetorical speeches. After the elections are over, they head towards Switzerland or Italy,” Sharma had said yesterday.

When asked to respond on this, Priyanka Gandhi said: “Well, I haven’t been to Italy in the last three to four years. I should go in fact to see my grandmother.”