Yogi Adityanath likens Rahul to 'Diwali rocket,' decries Akhilesh Yadav's revenge remark

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, comparing him to a Diwali rocket that releases all its smoke but fails to take off as he questioned the Congress's repeated attempts to relaunch the Rae Bareli MP. He also hit out at Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav over his recent remark that the next generation would avenge every lathi blow and injury.

"During Diwali, some rockets are lit, but instead of flying into the sky, they simply release smoke and fizzle out. Rahul Gandhi has reached that stage," he said.

"Remember how many times Rahul Gandhi has been launched. In 2004, the Congress launched him by making him an MP; in 2007, by appointing him general secretary; in 2013, by making him party vice-president; and in 2017, by making him party president. The outcome was that in 2019, he himself lost the election from Amethi," Adityanath said.

He also took a dig at the Congress's political campaigns, claiming that the Bharat Jodo Yatra had fizzled out like a paper rocket and that subsequent campaigns, including the Nyay Yatra and Adhikar Yatra, had failed to revive the party's electoral fortunes.

The chief minister also criticised the Congress and the INDIA bloc for opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Questioning the Opposition's objections to the removal of names of alleged Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators and deceased persons from voter lists, he claimed that the inclusion of ineligible voters could deprive poor, Dalit and marginalised citizens of their electoral rights.

Comparing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to students who make excuses for poor examination results, Yogi said Opposition leaders never accepted responsibility for their electoral defeats.

Referring to Akhilesh Yadav's recent remark that the next generation would avenge every lathi blow and injury, Adityanath asserted, "There is no place for revenge in democracy. It is the people who bring change through their votes." He referred to the electoral changes witnessed in 2014 and 2017 and accused the SP of lacking the ability to bring meaningful change.

He also questioned whether the Congress would apologise to the country for imposing the Emergency and the suffering inflicted on people during that period.

He said the BJP's padyatra was aimed at strengthening democracy and advancing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed and self-reliant India.

The padyatra began at the MP Inter College ground and culminated at Sardar Patel Crossing, where the leaders garlanded the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.