Countdown for fall of dynasty rule has begun: UP minister

After Rahul Gandhi accused UP's senior leaders of placing their respective sons above the party, Shrikant Sharma, UP minister mocked him of accusing them of dynasty rule when 'he is himself a product of it'. "The countdown for the fall of dynasty rule has begun," he said.

Mathura: Commenting on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's remarks against senior leaders for the party's poll rout, Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma said: "a bad workman quarrels with his tools".

Amid rumblings within the party after a disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi is said to have accused three senior leaders of placing their respective sons above the party, sources said.

"It is a joke that a person, who himself is a product of dynasty rule, is talking about placing sons over the party as the reason behind Congress' debacle this general election," Sharma told reporters here on Saturday.

"The countdown for the fall of dynasty rule has begun," he said.

The power minister alleged Gandhi was appointed as the Congress president over other competent names "due to the same dynasty rule".

Sharma also attributed the poor showing of the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the elections to "wrong decisions" of its president Akhilesh Yadav.

Akhilesh's decision to contest the assembly elections with the Congress and the Lok Sabha elections with BSP is responsible for the debacle of a party that only a few years ago was in power in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

"Owing to the immaturity of Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi party formed and nurtured by Neta ji and Shiv Pal Yadav has slumped to such a pitiable position," the minister said.

The BJP leader said people have rejected Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Jayant Chaudhary and Akhilesh Yadav who symbolise dynasty rule.

On the BJP's stupendous performance this general election, Sharma said, "This election virtually rejected casteism, dynasty rule and appeasement politics."

He also credited the Narendra Modi government for its transparent mechanism which helped in reaching out to all sections of the society.

The minister said women had been the biggest beneficiary of the government schemes.

While the Ayushman Bharat scheme is directly related to mothers, toilets constructed in homes under Swachh Bharat provided dignity and respect to woman, he said.

Extension of maternity leave, power connections and providing LPG through Ujjwala scheme to poor women free of cost changed the lives of the community, Sharma said.

The BJP leader said the Centre's tough stand against terrorism and the surgical strikes in Pakistan showed the world India was no more a "soft state".

Transparency in defence deals by eliminating the involvement of brokers also boosted the morale of defence forces, he added.

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