Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with Priyanka Gandhi. Photo: ANI/TwitterPriyanka Gandhi, who addressed an election rally for the first time during the ongoing assembly polls in UP, asked people of the state to strengthen the SP-Congress alliance and bring it to power.
Highlights from Priyanka's speech
» Prime minister says he has been adopted by UP and he will bring in development. Does UP need to adopt anyone to bring in development?
» Every youngster in UP can become a leader and work for its development
» Modi promised to transform Varanasi, but he has not acted
» Only the poor suffered due to note-ban by prime minister, women were affected the most
Raebareli: Priyanka Gandhi joined brother Rahul Gandhi Friday in attacking prime minister Narendra Modi over his "adopted son" remark, saying Uttar Pradesh does not need an outsider when it has its own to take it forward.
Priyanka, along with Rahul, accused Modi of making "hollow" and "false" promises, particularly in the context of his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in UP.
"Prime minister Narendra Modi had earlier said Varanasi has adopted me and I am like a son for it and will develop it...But I felt, does Uttar Pradesh need to adopt anyone from outside," Priyanka said to a cheering crowd here in the Lok Sabha constituency of her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
"Modiji, does the state need to adopt anyone from outside? Is there no youth here?...You have two such youth in Rahulji and Akhileshji before you who have UP in their hearts and mind," Priyanka told the gathering.
Modi, while addressing a rally in Hardoi Thursday, had called himself the "adopted son" of UP and said the future of the state cannot be ensured without ridding it of SP, Congress and BSP.
In her brief but impassioned speech, she said, "No outside leader is required. Every single youth of the state can become a leader.... Every single youth here will work for UP and make the state progress by leaps and bounds. This is the wish of Rahulji and Akhileshji."
Rahul also hit out at Modi, saying relationships don't develop merely by talking but by nurturing.
Hitting out at the prime minister, Rahul said, "Modiji, you have not even fulfilled the promises you made to your mother."
He said Modi has been going about making promises wherever he goes. "In Bihar (elections), he (Modi) promised to give special package. Was it given?.. I have a list of things that he promised for Varanasi - clean Ganga, ghats, ring road, free WiFi, Bhojpuri Film City."
Priyanka, the star campaigner of Congress, told the gathering, "I only want to say that you should recognize one who speaks a lie and makes hollow promises and the one who wants to work for you. Strengthen this (SP-Congress) alliance so much that going forward this state is strengthened and takes it forward along with its people."
She also invoked her father Rajiv Gandhi in attacking Modi and said one should ask the people of Amethi what a prime minister does for his constituency.
"You should ask the people of Amethi what the prime minister did to them," she said, alleging that Modi has done nothing for Varanasi which he represents.
Attacking the demonetization decision, Rahul said all of a sudden Modi got the idea and decided to convert the hard earned notes of the people into plain paper and asked the people to go and stand in queues in front of banks.
Targeting Modi's approach towards doing things, he stated that the prime minister says 'India is dirty. You clean up. I have to go to America and meet Obama. I'll check when I'm back'.
Priyanka also attacked Modi over demonetization, telling the gathering, "With a clap, the manner in which the prime minister made you throw your entire savings like throwing waste paper and made you all stand in queues of banks. Was it not like atrocities? Why you did all this?"
Priyanka said women should not be recognized by the relation they have with a man, but as individuals and help book those who committed atrocities on them.
"Don't link women with any relation. On behalf of crores of women in the country, don't always link them with a relation but help end the atrocities committed on them and bring to book those committing the atrocities," she said.
