BJP working for 'big, corporate friends', not worried about poor and small traders: Priyanka Gandhi

The BJP is not worried about small businesses and the poor but working for its “big corporate friends”, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Friday as she went from door to door campaigning for her party here. The Congress general secretary and its Uttar Pradesh in-charge also expressed the hope that the crowds turning up at the party’s poll events would turn into a “wave of change” in the state’s politics.

While she held roadshows here in this western Uttar Pradesh area abutting the national capital, on Thursday she was in Bulandshahr, another district in the poll-bound region. “Wherever we are campaigning, we see that the people are excited. I am hopeful that this excitement will turn into a wave of change in UP’s politics,” she told reporters. Attacking the BJP, she said people engaged in small businesses were facing a host of problems.’

“There has been demonetisation… lockdown, but the government failed to provide relief to the people. This government works only for its big corporate friends. There is no place for small traders, the poor and others.” Targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath without naming him, she said the language during poll campaigns has to be “civilised”, suggesting that it is a tactic to divert political discourse.

“Issues that impact the people should be the ones dominating election related discussions. Why are they saying things like ‘charbi nikaal denge’, ‘garmi nikaal denge’….?” The Congress leader said the BJP should show concern about how the people are dealing with their problems, how they are repaying loans, submitting school fees of their children despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They do not have anything to say about all this and that is why they are talking about ‘charbi’ and ‘garmi’,” the Congress leader claimed.

On BJP candidates winning all seven assembly seats in Ghaziabad during the 2017 polls and challenge for Congress, Priyanka Gandhi said the people are “fed up” of them.

“They (BJP MLAs) were nowhere to be seen after the elections. People have faced a lot of problems since 2017,” she claimed. Ghaziabad goes to polls on February 10 during the first phase of the UP assembly elections. Election results will be declared on March 10.