‘Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav’s remote control in Modi’s hand’: Rahul Gandhi

Launching a two-way attack on the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh and Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav were "remote controlled" by the prime minister. 

“Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav’s controller is in Narendra Modi ji’s hand. Remember, Narendra Modi ji cannot pressurise me. Modi ji can put pressure on BSP and SP,” Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Barabanki.

Gandhi's scathing attack comes after the SP and BSP joined hands for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, while keeping the Congress out of the alliance. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance, however, said they will not field candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi -- the two strongholds of the Congress. 

Elbowed out of the opposition alliance, the Congress decided to go it alone in the polls. It, however, later joined hands with the Apna Dal (Krishna Patel faction) giving it two seats -- Pilibhit and Gonda. 

Getting sidelined by the SP and BSP came as a huge setback for the Congress, which has been trying to regain its lost ground in the politically crucial state which sends 80 members to the Parliament.

Earlier in the day, addressing a rally in Sitapur, Gandhi termed the NYAY scheme as an answer to the wrong policies of the BJP government which have "annihilated" the country's economy.

Addressing an election rally for party candidate Kaiser Jahan at the Gulzar Shah ground in Biswan, the Gandhi scion slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Demonetisation and GST together annihilated the country's economy. The NYAY Scheme of the Congress is the only answer to the poor people affected by the wrong policies of the BJP," the Congress chief said.

"Modi ji favoured a group of 15 people by giving them Rs 5,55,000 crore but the Congress will take this amount back from them and use it for benefitting 25 crore poor families of this country," he added.