A Virtue For Rahul-Congress In UP Sin For Others In Maharashtra

The words of these leaders, in a way, amount to reincarnation of the “son of the soil” doctrine enunciated by the Shiv Sena supremo, the late Bal Thackeray— a doctrine that was derided and totally rejected by most of the political parties and leaders including Congress right from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru down to Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi. And it is this doctrine that the Congress Party and Akhilesh’s Samajwadi Party are deadly opposed to in Maharashtra and elsewhere

- Amba Charan Vashishth

“Does UP need to adopt an outsider? Does UP not have youth who are capable of developing it?” This was the question Mrs. Priyanka Vadra put during an election rally at Maharajganj in her mother’s parliamentary constituency of Rae Bareili on February 17. She was joining issue with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who in an election rally at Lucknow had a day before said: “UP has adopted me...and it is my duty to work for you (UP)". Hailing her brother Rahul and Akhilesh Yadav as “the true sons of the soil” she added, “They have UP in their hearts and lives. UP does not need an outsider. The youth here is capable of developing UP”.

Similar sentiments were echoes by her brother and Congress Vice- President Rahul Gandhi and UP’s Samajwadi Party Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.