Should have created jobs instead of talking about ‘cooling down’ others: Priyanka slams Adityanath

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hit out at Yogi Adityanath and said the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government should increase employment opportunities instead of the chief minister talking about “cooling down” others.

Addressing an election campaign in Rampur, the Congress general secretary and party’s UP affairs in-charge also accused the BJP-led Centre of destroying trade and businesses with ill-conceived policies.

“They keep saying ‘garmi nikaal denge’, ‘charbi nikaal denge’. Are these the issues troubling the people? I want to ask them why they are not putting out vacancies and employment opportunities when they have been in power for five years,” Priyanka said as she made a veiled attack on Adityanath.

She called on the voters to listen to politicians and understand whether they are talking about the development and welfare of the people or themselves.

“What has the government done, it has sold the PSUs (public sector undertakings) to its friends. Jobs come from PSUs. All small and medium-scale businesses and manufacturing units generate jobs but the government has made this sector weaker by demonetisation,” Priyanka said.

She alleged that the government’s economic policies have hit the common man while those with black money were living a good life.

“Note ban was the starting point from where the destruction of lakhs of small and medium-scale traders started. After that GST was imposed on you, and then you were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The BJP has a government both at the Centre and in the state but they did nothing to save you or make you strong,” she said.

“Today the prime minister is saying Congress gave free tickets to people to travel during the pandemic, he is accusing us of spreading COVID-19. You must understand his thought process. Lakhs of people were forced to travel hundreds of kilometers on foot and the PM says we did wrong by helping people,” the Congress leader said.

Priyanka alleged the government did not help the people because the BJP’s is not the government of the poor but pro-rich.

She also hit out at the Centre over issues of agriculture and slammed the BJP citing farmers’ agitation, which she said forced the government to repeal the three farm legislations.

The four assembly seats of Chamrua, Bilaspur, Milak and Rampur (Sadar) in Rampur district of western Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on February 14 during the second phase of the assembly elections in the state.