Assembly polls: UP needs no 'adopted son', says Priyanka Gandhi on PM Modi remark

Priyanka Gandhi on Friday joined brother Rahul Gandhi in attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "adopted son" remark, saying Uttar Pradesh does not need an outsider when it has its own to take it forward.       

Priyanka, who addressed an election rally for the first time during the ongoing Assembly polls in UP, asked people of the state to strengthen the SP-Congress alliance and bring it to power. She, along with Rahul, accused Modi of making "hollow"and "false" promises, particularly in the context of his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in UP.     

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said Varanasi has adopted me and I am like a son for it and will develop it...But I felt, does Uttar Pradesh need to adopt anyone from outside," Priyanka said to a cheering crowd here in the Lok Sabha constituency of her mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.     

"Modiji, does the state need to adopt anyone from outside? Is there no youth here?...You have two such youth in Rahulji and Akhileshji before you who have UP in their hearts and mind," Priyanka told the gathering.     

Modi, while addressing a rally in Hardoi on Thursday, had called himself the "adopted son" of UP and said the future of the state cannot be ensured without ridding it of SP,Congress and BSP.     

In her brief but impassioned speech, she said, "No outside leader is required. Every single youth of the state can become a leader.... Every single youth here will work for UP and make the state progress by leaps and bounds. This is the wish of Rahulji and Akhileshji."       

Rahul also hit out at Modi, saying relationships don't develop merely by talking but by nurturing."Modiji, rishta bolne se nahin, nibhane se bante hain (relationships are not developed merely by talking, but by nurturing them)," he said.

Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi promised like DDLJ's SRK, turned out Sholay's Gabbar       

Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Rahul said, "Modiji,you have not even fulfilled the promises you made to yourmother."He said Modi has been going about making promises wherever he goes. "In Bihar (elections), he (Modi) promised to give special package. Was it given?.. I have a list of things that he promised for Varanasi - clean Ganga, ghats, ring road, free WiFi, Bhojpuri Film City."