Congress booklet targets BJP, SP and BSP, sparks row
LUCKNOW : A Congress booklet in Uttar Pradesh has sparked off a political controversy as it targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party BSP) alike calling them “chor chor mausere bhai” (partners in crime) for 32 years. The booklet has been brought out to train the Congress workers named “Vijay Sena” (army for victory) in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly election due early next year.
Reacting sharply to the Congress booklet, BSP chief Mayawati alleged that the party was luring people to its rallies by promising food and money.
“Rather than targeting the rival parties by releasing a booklet the Congress should set its house in order,” she said.
On the other hand, Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Udaiveer Singh said: “We don’t mind what the Congress says. We choose to ignore such mistakes they make. Our fight is with the BJP.”
The 24-page booklet titled “Kisne Bigada Uttar Pradesh” (who contorted Uttar Pradesh) carries tiny caricatures of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP president Mayawati on the front cover.
The booklet calls the BJP a
Bharatiya Jumlebaaz Party and provides a list of its alleged unfulfilled promises on the back.
BJP state unit spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said the people of UP would be not misguided by the Congress tirade against its rival parties.
“The Congress has failed to regain lost ground in UP and the people have rejected it in successive Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visits the state like a tourist to make baseless allegations against rival political parties,” he said.
The Congress had been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 1989.
The booklet being distributed to Congress workers at the training camps reads, “Uttar Pradesh is at the bottom in terms of income of farmers, providing jobs, education and health and on the top in malnutrition, crime against women, crime against girl child, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality following corruption and misrule BJP, BSP and SP governments in 32 years.” “Yes, we are imparting training to two lakh (0.2 million) workers of “Vijay Sena” at 700 “Prashikshan se Parakram” (training for valour) camps being organised in 100 days ending on September 7, 2021.
“Vijay Sena” will go from door to door to tell people how the 32-year rule has led to deterioration in Uttar Pradesh,” said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu.
The booklet has nine chapters —seven on the BJP and one each on the SP and the BSP. It says both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been given to only 4% of the population in Uttar Pradesh. It quotes a survey to say that only one of 100 active cases of Covid-19 was identified in UP. It says as per estimates about 0.8 to 0.9 million deaths took place due to Covid-19. Private hospitals indulged in loot and only 875 patients were treated under Ayushman Bharat scheme, the booklet alleges. It also makes accusations about irregularities, unemployment, inflation, plight of farmers, economy and the condition of MSMEs.
The SP has been attacked for dynastic politics and corruption, along with accusations of favours to a particular caste (without directly naming Yadavs).
“The SP government promoted only dynastic politics, jungle rule, casteism and corruption. When people needed development, jobs and educational institutions, the SP left no stone unturned in accommodating its family members. About 25 members of the Mulayam Singh Yadav family are in politics now. A caste dominated in all the recruitments, transfers and postings,” it reads mentioning a writ petition that was filed, pointing out that 56 candidates out of 86 SDMs selected by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission in three years belonged to a caste.
It says out of 389 PCS officers selected, 72 belonged to a caste. It calls SP government’s tenure as “goondaraj” and corrupt and says more than 700 riots took place during the SP regime and 62 people died in the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013.
Calling Mayawati “Dalit Nahin, Daulat Ki Beti” (daughter of wealth and not of a Dalit), the chapter on the BSP’s “misrule” says Mayawati is the only leader selling her party’s tickets for crores. It also says Mayawati is fond of wearing garland of currency notes worth Rs 18 crore to Rs 21 crore instead of flowers. The booklet lists alleged scams reported during the BSP government.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had recently indicated her party was open for an alliance ahead of 2022 polls. Will the Congress attacks end possibilities of an alliance?
Lallu said, “We have already said the Congress will align with smaller parties only.”
“The Congress will not gain from targeting other opposition parties. The BJP’s strategy is to keep the opposition divided. The Congress is strengthening the BJP indirectly with such a campaign,” said SK Dwivedi, former head of department political science, Lucknow University.
Alleging that the Congress did not get candidates to contest elections in various states, BSP chief Mayawati claimed the party leaders took money from rich people to distribute among the candidates willing to contest the election on its ticket.
“The people will reject the Congress in the coming assembly election,” she added.
Samajwadi Party MLC Udaiveer Singh said, “Our aim is to displace the BJP from power and put the state back on the track of development by bringing the SP back to power. And this is our focus. People also know who (which party) is in the reckoning to oust the BJP...I would like to quote what our national president (Akhilesh Yadav) had said once (when asked at a press conference) that Congress is a confused party and doesn’t know if it is fight the BJP or SP.”
BJP state unit spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi alsosaid, “Before the 2017 assembly election, the Congress released a booklet “27 saal UP behal”. But the Congress contested assembly election in alliance with Samajwadi Party, which its leaders had accused of leading a most corrupt government in Uttar Pradesh.”