'Shehzade will checkmate BJP', Akhilesh, Rahul attack PM at Varanasi rally

Varanasi (UP): Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed a joint rally here on Tuesday, saying the BJP launched a negative campaign but the INDIA bloc would bring ‘happy days for the people’ once voted to power.

Stating that the Prime Minister is repeatedly addressing him and Rahul Gandhi as ‘Shehzade’, Akhilesh Yadav said, "This time, the Shehzade will checkmate the BJP.”

“We will also waive farmers' loans, ensure legal guarantee for MSP of various crops, and ease GST norms for weavers and small traders,” said Rahul Gandhi.

The two leaders also promised to abolish the Agnipath scheme and ensure permanent employment in the army.

Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi said that MNREGA wages would be increased to Rs 400 per day while the remuneration for Asha and Anganwadi workers would be doubled if the INDIA bloc is voted to power.

“BJP leaders have attacked the Constitution, saying that they will change it if they get 400 seats. This is their biggest mistake. This election is between the super-rich and the poor and we are with the poor,” the Congress leader said.

Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, said that the much-awaited defence corridor in Uttar Pradesh has not even produced a ‘sutli bomb’ till now.

“There has been no investment at the ground level. Even the milk plant in Varanasi was sanctioned during my regime,” he said, as the two leaders appealed to the people to vote for Ajay Rai, the INDIA bloc nominee in Varanasi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election.