Congress not competent to bring change in Uttar Pradesh: Gadkari

Kanpur/Agra, Feb 21 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari has said the Congress is not competent enough to bring change to Uttar Pradesh.

"Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi often says that Uttar Pradesh has not progressed for the last 22 years. I would like to ask him, what about the state's development before that period that was under the governance of the Congress party? Why doesn't he talk about that phase? The Congress party could not change the face of the state, Gadkari told a gathering in Kanpur.

"Rahulji now says that the state's people go to states like Maharashtra for work and do menial jobs. The Congress party is responsible for leading the state to its current deplorable condition," he added.

BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Congress Party's existence and success was down to the support of key players in the state polls such as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP).

"Political parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and the Congress party have an alliance and work closely with each other. The people of Uttar Pradesh have to understand this because the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance enjoys the confidence of BSP and SP, because on several occasions they have given support to the Congress party on controversial matters. The Congress party exists at the federal level due to BSP and SP's support," Rudy said in Agra.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major political parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state. new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)