Ahmedabad, Oct 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath today termed as a "sham" Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi's recent visits to temples in Gujaratduring his recent campaign tour in the poll-bound state.
Tearing into the Congress and its leadership, Adityanathalso said they have no right to berate the `Gujarat model ofdevelopment'.
"As far as Rahul Gandhi's visits to temples areconcerned, I am surprised. Rahul Gandhi's 'pakhand' and'dhong' (hypocrisy and sham) is not going to work," Adityanathsaid, speaking to reporters at Nakhatrana in Kutch duringBJP's `Gaurav Yatra' election campaign.
"The same Congress was eager to destroy the Ram Setu.
During a hearing in the Supreme Court, Congress government hadraised question about the existence of Sri Ram and SriKrishna," he claimed, and asked, "If the party does notbelieve in the existence of Sri Ram and Sri Krishna, then whyRahul Gandhi wants to take credit by visiting temples."Ram Setu, also known as Adam's Bridge, is a chain oflimestone shoals between Pamban Island off the south-easterncoast of Tamil Nadu and Mannar Island off the north-westerncoast of Sri Lanka. PILs were filed in the Supreme Court inthe past, demanding that it be declared a national monument.
"If the country is facing poverty, terrorism andNaxalism, then the Congress is to be held responsible forthat. Congress and Rahul Gandhi have no right to discussdevelopment; even the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has acceptedthe (genuineness of) development of Gujarat," he said.
The BJP government is not doing the politics of "casteand dynasty," the chief minister added.
"The BJP talks about the entire society, and theprogrammes that the BJP has launched under the leadership ofrespected Narendra-bhai (prime minister Narendra Modi) focuson farmers, villagers, poor, women and youth," he said.
Gandhi started his recent campaign for GujaratAssembly polls by visiting the Dwarkadeesh temple and offeredprayers at many other temples in the state.
Yogi Adityanath has been campaigning in the BJP-ruledstate since yesterday. PTI KA PD KRKGSN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.