Rahul, Uma take on each other in battleground UP
January 19th, 2012 - 6:30 pm ICT by IANS
Lucknow, Jan 19 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh pollscape heated up Thursday with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Uma Bharti taking on each other in an aggressive battle of words.
Addressing a rally in Charkhari in Bundelkhand, from where Uma Bharti will contest the assembly elections, Gandhi said she was an outsider who had not done anything for the region.
“A BJP leader has come from Madhya Pradesh. Where was she when farmers were dying in Bundelkhand? Now that elections are here, she has come to you,” he said.
Uma Bharti, who has made a return to the BJP fold, was quick to react.
She told reporters in Lucknow that she was not an outsider and that she was confident of defeating the “guru-chela” (mentor-student) pair of Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh in the state.
“I am not an outsider, I am from Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi should remember the background of his mother before questioning his ‘bua’ (aunt),” she said, taking a potshot at the Congress leader.
“I would also like to remind him that in Madhya Pradesh, I made Digvijay Singh bite dust. Both metor and his disciple are present here in Uttar Pradesh as well, I will bring them to the same situation here as well,” she said.
Uma Bharti will contest the state assembly poll from Charkhari in Mahoba district of Bundelkhand. Elections to the state assembly are to be held in seven phases, begining Feb 8.
She said the special package announced for Bundelkhand was nowhere to be found.
“The special package for Bundelkhand has been siphoned. We are trying to find the package, but it is nowhere to be found,” she said.
Following Rahul Gandhi’s intervention, the central government two years back had sanctioned a Rs.7,000 crore package for the backward Bundelkhand, a region that straddles both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- Congress attacks Uma Bharti for Sonia remark - Jan 19, 2012
- BJP to field Uma Bharti in UP polls - Jan 19, 2012
- Brisk polling in fifth phase of UP poll (Lead) - Feb 23, 2012
- UP polls: 59 percent vote in 5th phase (Intro Roundup) - Feb 23, 2012
- 39 percent turnout in fifth phase of UP poll (Second lead) - Feb 23, 2012
- BJP's Uma calculations go wrong - Mar 06, 2012
- No talks on BJP-BSP post-poll tie up :Nirmala Sitharaman - Feb 12, 2012
- Uma Bharti says she can be Rahul's 'guru' - Dec 18, 2010
- Sonia, Rahul to address rally in Uttar Pradesh April 30 - Apr 21, 2011
- Uma Bharti to cast her vote in Lucknow - Feb 19, 2012
- Brisk polling in Uttar Pradesh (Third Lead) - Feb 23, 2012
- 59.4 percent turnout in 5th phase of UP polls (Roundup) - Feb 23, 2012
- Madhya Pradesh BJP abuzz over Uma Bharti's return - Jun 07, 2011
- Uma Bharti homecoming may help BJP in Uttar Pradesh - Jun 07, 2011
- Rahul to tour Bundelkhand Jan 17-20 - Jan 13, 2012
Tags: assembly elections, assembly poll, battleground, begining, bharatiya janata party, bjp leader, bundelkhand, central government, congress leader, digvijay singh, disciple, general secretary, guru chela, lucknow, metor, outsider, potshot, rahul gandhi, state assembly, student pair