The Congress party will stand on its own feet in the state of Uttar Pradesh following the assembly elections and the future of government in the state will be decided by the party, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said today in Varanasi. Addressing a press conference in the last leg of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said, “We haven’t come to UP to negotiate with other parties, we have come to change the lives of the people of UP. Congres party will stand upright on its feet in these elections, maybe with 200 seats, maybe 100. But we’ll decide the fate of govt in UP.” [caption id=“attachment_204645” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”]  [/caption] Taking a dig at Mayawati and her caste politics Rahul said, although caste discrimination and tension are a reality in UP, unlike the founder leader of BSP who heard and gave a voice to the dalits in the state, Mayawati has forgotten the art of listening to people. This disconnect he said was the biggest impediment to development in the state, he said. “My problem with Mayawatiji and Mulayamji is that they’ve forgotten how to listen to the voice of the common people,” he said, while heaping praises on BSP’s founding leader Kanshi Ram. Rahul said that following this disconnect, people have lost faith in the leaders and their own strength. “The biggest problem in UP is that people have lost all hope in their own future, they command no respect and their voices are never heard. My work in UP is not done till the tiller and the farmer get their dues,” he said. While taking a potshot at the BJP, Rahul said, “BJP does not even exist in UP. Please take a look at what the BJP did to fight corruption. Take a look at the Kargil coffin scam. Ask Mr Advani what he did.” Rahul said unlike BJP veteran LK Advani who conducts rath yaatras across the county in an attempt to connect with the people, he does not give false hopes to the people. While dodging the question of whether he is being groomed to be the next prime minister of the country Rahul said, he is concentrating on bringing good governance to the state and not obsessing about becoming prime minister. “My mandate is to bring development and change in UP. Unless UP is up on its feet you’ll find me in villages, with people in their hut. Every political leader in the country obsesses about becoming the PM someday, that’s not my obsession. I have no power. The only thing I have is that some people in this country believe in me,” he said. [fpgallery id=366]
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