Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a sharp political attack on Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, comparing him to a Diwali rocket that fails to take off despite repeated attempts.
Taking a swipe at the Congress leadership, Yogi said the party had repeatedly tried to politically launch Rahul Gandhi, but its efforts had failed to establish him as a successful national leader.
Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Gorakhpur during the party’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) march, the Chief Minister said, “I sometimes wonder how many times the Congress will launch Rahul Gandhi.”
Drawing an analogy with Diwali celebrations, he said some rockets fail to rise into the sky even after their fuses are lit. People keep looking upwards, but the rocket remains on the ground, releases smoke and eventually burns out.
“Rahul Gandhi is in the same situation. This rocket is never going to take off,” Yogi remarked, in an apparent reference to the Congress’s repeated attempts to project Gandhi as its principal national face.
‘Rahul Gandhi a Failed Rocket’: Yogi Adityanath Takes Dig https://t.co/IdFJgk4qiA
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Yogi Recalls Rahul Gandhi’s Political Journey
Explaining his criticism, Yogi Adityanath referred to Rahul Gandhi’s political journey, pointing out that he became a Lok Sabha MP in 2004, was appointed Congress general secretary in 2007, elevated to party vice-president in 2013 and eventually became Congress president in 2017.
However, the Chief Minister highlighted Gandhi’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, traditionally considered a Congress stronghold, as an example of his political setbacks.
He also referred to the Congress’s subsequent political campaigns, including the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Nyay Yatra and Adhikar Yatra, alleging that the party had repeatedly attempted to revive Gandhi’s political image through these initiatives.
Yogi further questioned the Congress’s continued portrayal of the 56-year-old Rahul Gandhi as a young political leader, asserting that repeated attempts to relaunch him would not change his political fortunes.
Akhilesh Yadav Also Comes Under Fire
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav over his reported remark that the next generation would avenge every lathi charge and injury inflicted on party workers.
Responding to the statement, Yogi said democracy was not about revenge but about bringing political change through elections.
“Someone should explain to the SP’s ‘Babua’ that in a democracy there is no revenge; people bring change,” he said.
Referring to the electoral outcomes of 2014 at the national level and 2017 in Uttar Pradesh, he maintained that the people, through their votes, ultimately decide who governs the country and the state.
Opposition Accused of Blaming EVMs and SIR
Yogi Adityanath also criticised the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for questioning electoral processes and raising concerns over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He accused opposition parties of blaming EVMs and other electoral issues whenever they suffered election defeats instead of examining their own political shortcomings.
The BJP rally was attended by party national president Nitin Nabin, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary and leaders of NDA constituents, along with party workers and supporters.
The Gorakhpur programme reflected the BJP’s renewed political offensive against the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, with its leadership targeting opposition leaders over electoral credibility, political leadership and their criticism of the election process.
Yogi’s latest remarks have added another sharp exchange to the continuing political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress, particularly over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and the opposition’s efforts to challenge the ruling party.
