LUCKNOW: As Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government's second-year celebration coincided with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi's second day of the campaign in eastern UP, the two leaders had a sharp exchange of words on Tuesday.
Reacting to the presentation of his government's two-year report card by CM Yogi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka told reporters in Bhadohi and Mirzapur that ground reality was different from what the Uttar Pradesh government had been portraying.
She also took on the BJP leaders for blaming the past Congress governments for the problems of the present, saying that there was an expiry date to the rant that nothing was done in the past 70 years.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yogi asserted that his government had changed the image of UP and the state's law and order had become a model for the country. "There was not a single riot took place during the past two years," he said. "When I took over in March 2017, debt-ridden farmers were
committing suicides and the state had become "synonymous with murder, loot and riots," he said.
Adityanath said he changed the "perception about the state" and improved its "tarnished image". The better atmosphere has become a "nazeer" (model) for the country, he said. “It was during Congress’s rule the state was pushed into the category of BIMARU state. But now the perception has changed,” claimed the CM.
Adityanath also cited the migration of youth from UP owing to Congress policies followed by an exodus of Hindus in 2017 from Kairana, another city in western UP, "due to anarchic forces". "Today peace has returned as well as the traders who had fled from there." The exodus of Hindus from Kairana was a major poll issue for BJP in the 2017 assembly election in UP.
Praising his police force for its iron-hand policy to deal with criminals, Yogi said: "There is zero tolerance for crime and criminals and 73 criminals have been killed in police encounters. Unfortunately, half-a-dozen police jawans also attained martyrdom in the encounters."
However, speaking to reporters at a guesthouse in Sitamarhi, Priyanka said: "BJP needs to come to the ground to see the reality. This report card and publicity looks good, but the reality is very different.
There is a big difference between polls promises and their fulfilment. As far as the rant about no development in 70 years is concerned, it also has an expiry date."
The Congress leader retorted CM Yogi’s 70-year jibe by questioning the BJP leaders about their achievements in the past five years. "You are in the government for the past five years, what have you done in five years?" she asked.
Priyanka claimed that Yogi government had failed to deliver on the ground.
"Everyday, I am meeting people from different sections of the society and getting to know that students, youngsters,'shiksha mitras', anganwadi workers and ASHA workers are feeling harassed. At some places, it was announced that they will get Rs 17,000 salary, but till now they have got nothing. For the past two years, they are getting Rs 8,000."
When asked about Priyanka's boat yatra on the Ganga, Yogi quipped: "She has been able to undertake Ganga Yatra as we have made the holy river so clean and pollution free that she can take such a long a boat ride. What their govt could not do during the past seven decades, Modi govt did it in five years through Namami Gange under Nitin Gadkari."