Lucknow: Taking a swipe at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said social media projects her as a "prominent national leader" but she could not even ensure victory of her brother and then party president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in the 2019 parliamentary election.
Seeking to downplay the impact of Priyanka Gandhi in the state politics, Maurya said, "I do not take her seriously.... We have already named her 'Priyanka Twitter Vadra'. She only tweets for 2-3 days and the media remains busy and social media shows her as a prominent national leader."
"But everyone knows when she came to Uttar Pradesh to campaign for the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections hoping that she would make her brother the prime minister, she could not even ensure his victory," he said.
Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani of the BJP in his pocket borough of Amethi in the 2019 elections.
Responding to Maurya's comments, spokesperson of UP Congress Ashok Singh said, "The Gandhi family has sacrificed its members for the nation. Before making such remarks, he should get the potholed roads in the entire state repaired as he is in charge of the Public Works Department."
Priyanka Gandhi has flagged the problems faced by migrant labourers returning to their homes in Uttar Pradesh during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, among other issues.
There was also a showdown between the Congress and the state government in May after she offered 1,000 buses to ferry stranded migrant workers to Uttar Pradesh, but the Yogi Adityanath dispensation charged the party with "forgery" and said the list of buses contained registration numbers of two-wheelers, cars and three-wheelers.
The deputy chief minister said Priyanka Gandhi has been critical of policies of the Yogi Adityanath dispensation only because she looks at the BJP-ruled state "from a negative point of view".
Referring to her tweet on migrant labourers, Maurya said, "Congress does not want to see (what is happening in) Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It is suffering from 'drishti dosh' (vision disorder). Congress leaders, be it Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or any other, should get their eyes tested properly."
"If they (Congress leaders) want to see everything in a wrong manner because the BJP is ruling Uttar Pradesh...see it from a negative point of view and level allegations on (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-ji and Yogi-ji, then there is no cure to it. I can only suggest that they should consult a good doctor and wear good quality spectacles," he added.
The Congress has lost its base in Uttar Pradesh and does not have any leader except those looking for just "photo opportunities", Maurya said.
PTI Report
