Hitting out at UP chief minister Mayawati, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and the BJP, AICC general secretary and Congress’ main campaigner in Uttar Pradesh Rahul Gandhi on Thursday lashed out at them by claiming that those who ruled the state for last 22 years have just enacted “nataks” (dramas) and never cared for “aam aadmi”. In an aggressive tone, the young leader reminded the people that “enough is enough”. He said, “I urge you to use the current Assembly elections as an opportunity to get yourself rid of the “nataks”, which are being enacted in the state for last 22 years.”
Addressing a mammoth joint rally with RLD chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary here, Mr Gandhi said, “When I visit the house of a poor or go to the suffering farmers at Bhatta-Parsaul and Tappal to support their legitimate cause, our opponents call my action just a ‘natak’. I am here to ask you to judge my actions, if these are ‘nataks’, then what about them.” He said when the BJP was in power in the state, it enacted the “natak of dividing people”, when Mr Mulayam Yadav was in power, he enacted the “natak of gundaraj” and now when Mayawatiji is in power, she is enacting the “natak of making elephant statues and fleecing public money”.
Mr Gandhi maintained that if the Congress-RLD combine was voted to power in the state, the government would be “for the people, of the people and by the people”, as everything then onward “will be done as per your wish”.
Reminding people as to how Congress could defeat the NDA’s “shining India” campaign in 2004, the young leader said, then also when the ruling alliance gave the slogan, “we approached people and asked them if India was really shining”. The answer was “a big no”. He said, “Then we asked what ails the country. We were told that poverty, employment and steep inequality in the society are making people’s life measurable. We promised them to improve their lot and thus in 2004 NDA was thrown out and as we kept our promise, people voted us back to power in 2009.”
Maintaining that in “Congress’ words and deeds” there is no difference and this has been empirically proved in 2009, Mr Gandhi called upon people to support the alliance candidates in Western Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the well-attended meeting witnessed an unsavoury incident, when about half dozen youth managed to enter the local Ramlila Ground (the venue) to show black flag to Mr Gandhi. Their attempt, however, was thwarted by local Congress-RLD supporters and police. The incident took place Mr Gandhi was speaking on the dais.