"Rahul Gandhi Has Failed, No One Accepting Him": UP Deputy Chief Minister

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Tuesday took a jibe at former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and said no one is accepting him.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Pathak, when asked about Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said, "That is not nyay yatra. It will pass by. There is a saying in our village 'patli gali se nikal lena' (take the narrow lane and move ahead)." "Rahul Gandhi has completely failed. All of us understand the reason for re-launching him as he has failed and no one is accepting him," Mr Pathak added.

The Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started from Manipur on January 14 under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, will enter Uttar Pradesh on February 14.

On the opposition alliance INDIA, the deputy chief minister said, "When this alliance was formed, I had said it is 'purana maal' (old set of people) in a new packaging." "This is a group of people in UPA-1 and UPA-2 which is deeply immersed in corruption and malpractices. This is a group of power-hungry people. They have nothing to do with the people of the country and the state," he said.

"Through the poor welfare schemes in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have succeeded in bringing a large number of people above the poverty line. The biggest thing is these schemes have helped the people," he said.

The BJP has won the trust of the people and has succeeded in raising their standard of living, he said.

Pathak also claimed that in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will win all 80 seats of the state with a huge majority.

On the Uniform Civil Code Bill presented by the Uttarakhand government in the assembly, Mr Pathak said, "You must have seen the idea of implementing the UCC in the BJP's manifesto. You will get more details on it soon." However, he did not elaborate on this.

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