Rahul Gandhi must answer why people from his constituency are crying for basic amenities, says BJP leader Pankaj Singh

Lucknow: Attacking the Congress president, Uttar  Pradesh BJP general secretary Pankaj Singh said on Saturday that Rahul Gandhi must answer as to why the people in the constituencies represented by him and his family members in Parliament were crying for basic amenities even after so many years of independence. “The BJP government in the state under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is working on the ‘sankalp’ (pledge) of ensuring availability of electricity and water supply and construction of better roads in the village. When they (Congress) were in power, they had never felt it appropriate to answer to anyone,” Singh told PTI in Lucknow. “After the BJP came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started the practice of telling the people of the country the work done in a year…We very well understand that we are answerable to the people, and we have to give answers to the people from time to time,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_4438821” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] On the electoral understanding between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which halted the saffron party’s victory march in the Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the BJP MLA said, “Forging a coalition is their internal matter, and I would not like to comment on it. But, we emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 2017 UP Assembly polls and the urban local bodies polls held last year. And the reasons for the victory were the able leadership of the party, the development work done by our government and the hardwork of the party workers.” He exuded confidence that even in the future elections, the BJP will give a befitting reply to any possible coalition of parties through welfare-centric schemes for the public, the dedication of the party workers and the commitment to make Uttar Pradesh a developed state (vikasit pradesh) in the country. To a question as to what would happen if the Congress also joined the bandwagon of Samjawadi Party and BSP, and the caste equation being not in favour of the saffron party, Singh, who is MLA from Noida Assembly constituency, said, “The BJP has always followed the agenda of development, and we are taking Uttar Pradesh on the path of development with the thought of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas and agenda of Antyodaya (benefitting the last man of the social strata).” Mounting an attack on the rival political parties, the 39-year-old legislator said, “The people of the state with whom the rival political parties have played the game of votebank politics in the name of caste and community, now understand the ‘niyat’ (intention) and ‘niti’ (policy), and will not be fooled. People are looking forward to development. They want job avenues so that unemployment is no more.” On political parties efforts in lauding BR Ambedkar, Singh said, “Ambedkar_ji_ should not be confined to any political party or caste. He has given the country its Constitution and the democratic set-up…In fact, it is the BJP which has started the work of developing five places associated with Ambedkar as ‘Panchteerth’.” These places are Ambedkar’s birthplace in Mhow, the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK, Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur, Mahaparinirvan Sthal in Delhi, and Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai. “And, if I say the truth, our concept of Antyodaya was also the dream of Ambedkar. He also used to speak of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas…Development of every person and all sections of the society should be done, and everyone should get an equal opportunity. Today, if any political party is moving on that path, then it is the BJP,” Singh asserted. Commenting on the law and order scenario in the state, the BJP MLA said, “I know the working style of our chief minister and also his policies. I can confidently say that the guilty will not be spared, be it anyone.”