After Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a “namuna” (specimen), Congress MP K Suresh brushed off the comment, stating that it did not warrant a response.
“This is not the first time he has attacked Congress leaders and Rahul Gandhi. There is no need for a reply,” Suresh told ANI on Wednesday.
Shifting focus to governance issues in Uttar Pradesh, Suresh criticized the Yogi government for its handling of law and order and accused it of failing to fulfill promises made to victims of the recent Mahakumbh stampede.
“Yogi Adityanath had promised Rs 25 lakhs to the families of those who lost their lives in the Mahakumbh stampede, but no compensation has been given yet. The law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has collapsed. Many people were affected in the Kumbh stampede, yet instead of addressing these issues, he is making baseless allegations against the Congress and the INDIA bloc,” Suresh added.
The controversy erupted after Yogi Adityanath, in an exclusive interview with ANI, took a dig at the Congress leader and accused the party of keeping the Ayodhya issue politically alive for decades.
“Shouldn’t ‘Ek Bharat’ become ‘Shreshth Bharat’? Rahul Gandhi should ask his grandfather, grandmother, and father why they didn’t do it back then. The whole country is rallying behind Modi ji. Why did Congress let the Ayodhya controversy linger? They did politics in the name of Gandhi, but in 1916, Mahatma Gandhi himself criticized Kashi’s Sankri Gali. Why didn’t they fulfill his vision? It was PM Modi who fulfilled that dream. Congress did not abolish triple talaq, nor did it promote the Kumbh with the same grandeur and pride. Why did it fail to provide world-class infrastructure? Today, in Ayodhya, everyone is witnessing a new transformation. Lakhs of people are visiting every day,” Adityanath said.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also criticized Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ branding it as ‘Bharat Todo Abhiyan’ and questioning his political motives.
“The Bharat Jodo Yatra is actually a part of ‘Bharat Todo Abhiyan.’ He criticizes India while being outside the country. The people of India have understood his nature and intentions. In Indian politics, leaders like Rahul Gandhi should exist so that BJP’s path always remains clear,” Adityanath remarked.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7, 2022, in Kanyakumari and concluded in Srinagar on January 30, 2023, covered 3,970 km across 12 states and two Union Territories, lasting over 130 days.