Lok Sabha poll campaigns highlights: Rahul says Cong must form govt in UP

Both Congress and BJP are gearing up their election campaigns ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019

Both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday organised events in Uttar Pradesh as part of their campaigns ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Rahul Gandhi were in the state's capital, Lucknow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Vrindavan.

During a roadshow in Lucknow that marked his sister Priyanka's first public event after being appointed as national general secretary with charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he has told her and Scindia, who has been made general secretary for western UP, that their mandate is to bring a government in the state that will ensure justice for all. "Their aim is definitely the Lok Sabha elections, but also to bring a Congress government here," he said. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi on Monday served food to school children in Vrindavan, including the third billionth meal by the Akshaya Patra Foundation at the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir campus. Modi also unveiled a ceremonial plaque to mark the serving of "third billionth meal" by Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, local MP Hema Malini, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Ministers Shrikant Sharma, Lamxi Narayan Chaudhary and Anupama Jaiswal were also present at the event.   

6:44 PM

Modi's hollow promises have come to light: Rahul Gandhi

The hollow promises of Mr Modi have come to light. Congress workers must fight this battle with issues that concern the youth and farmers. There is no dearth of issues. Congress party will fight to transform UP and the nation: Congress President Rahul Gandhi 

6:40 PM

Modi claimed to have a '56-inch chest'. Modi said he wanted to become a 'chowkidar'. Two-three days ago, newspapers reported that Modi held parallel negotiations and cancelled the previous Rafale deal: Rahul Gandhi

6:34 PM

Narendra Modi said he wants to be a 'chowkidar'. The truth has now surfaced that he conducted parallel negotiations in the Rafale deal. The clause that enabled investigation in case of corruption was waived off by Mr Modi: Rahul Gandhi 

6:31 PM

Congress will fight to transform UP. The party will fight for its ideology and it will fight with all its might: Rahul Gandhi

6:26 PM

UP's youth, farmers, Dalits and the poor, all want a progressive government. Everyone has failed on this front and the only answer to this is to empower grassroot leaders: Rahul Gandhi

6:25 PM

Congress should form the government in UP after the Assembly elections in the state. This is everyone's responsibility: Rahul Gandhi

6:23 PM

The Congress party started from UP and it cannot stay weak in this state: Rahul Gandhi

6:21 PM

I have given the responsibility of strengthening Congress party in UP to Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia. The Congress party must form the govt in UP: Rahul Gandhi

6:19 PM

Uttar Pradesh has witnessed what Narendra Modi did for the last 5 years in the country. Youth are saying that Narendra Modi failed his promise to provide employment and benefited only people like Anil Ambani: Rahul Gandhi 

6:18 PM

This is an ideological battle. On one hand, there is the Congress ideology of love, harmony and brotherhood. On the other, there is BJP-RSS ideology of dividing and weakening the nation: Rahul Gandhi 

6:11 PM

Speaking about Mission Indradhanush, Prime Minister Modi said over 34 million children and 9 million mothers had been vaccinated since the launch of the scheme.

6:11 PM

Prime Minister Modi also said that countries with fewer facilities were ahead of India in these fields. "To end this situation, we since 2014 have been working with new strategies in the field of vaccination, cleanliness and child nourishment and decided to conduct these on a mission mode."

6:10 PM

Modi attacks previous govts for slow work on child nourishment, vaccination, cleanliness

In an attack on previous governments for what he said was slow work in the field of child nourishment, vaccination and cleanliness, Prime Minister Modi underlined that not much success was gained in past. "Be it arrangements for child nourishment, vaccination and cleanliness, it is not that the topic was not discussed earlier. All these aspects were discussed... Several schemes were also launched. But not much success was gained in the past." (Read more here) 

6:00 PM

'Chowkidar' has stolen public money and IAF's money. Through parallel negotiations and by removing the anti-corruption clause, Narendra Modi has helped Anil Ambani profit by Rs 30,000 crore: Congress President Rahul Gandhi

5:56 PM

Visuals: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra interacts with a child during the roadshow in Lucknow. The girl says, "I gave her a garland and she gave me a chocolate. Later, she returned the garland to me and said, 'Stay happy'.