Confident BJP 'ignores' Congress, AAP campaigns for UP assembly elections

Even as the opposition parties like the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party rollout sops after sops for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP in the state is not responding to their promises and is confident of its own agenda.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are making tall promises even before releasing their manifestoes officially.

The Congress leads the list by promising 40 per cent reservation in tickets to women, smartphones and electric scooty to girl students, three free gas cylinders every year to women, free bus travel for women, Rs 1000 pension for widows, Rs 10,000 for anganwadi and ASHA workers, and 75 schools named after women warriors.

The Aam Aadmi Party, on the other hand, is trying to make inroads into the middle class vote base by promising free electricity up to 300 units and massive upgradation of educational and health facilities on their Delhi model.

The Yogi Adityanath government has conveniently turned a blind eye to the promises made by two parties.

A senior minister said, "Why should we bother about what these parties are promising because neither of them are even in the race to form the next government. They are far, far away from the majority figure and so they can promise the moon. People know that their promises have no value because they are non-players in the political arena."

The BJP is confident that the work done by the Modi and Yogi governments, along with a liberal topping of Hindutva, will take it comfortably beyond the majority mark.

"Look at the work done by our governments and compare it to what these parties have done and anyone can see the difference. The Purvanchal Expressway in the east and the Jewar airport in the west, are best examples. Some parties are contesting elections only for the fun of it. If Priyanka is so serious about women's issues, why does she not ensure the same facilities in the Congress-ruled states?" asked Uttar Pradesh Minister Satish Mahana.

A senior BJP functionary said that the party was gearing up to reach out to voters on the basis of its achievement.

"We are not building castles in the air. We will give proof of the work done by our governments. The promises for the future will be included in the manifesto but we are not wasting our time by responding to what the Congress, AAP and other parties claim," he said.

Interestingly, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has constantly refused to respond to the demands raised by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Whether it was the demand for removal of district magistrate after the Hathras incident or a CBI inquiry into the custodial death of a Dalit or withdrawal of cases against anti-CAA protesters -- the BJP government has refused to accept any demand of the Congress.

In the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the arrest of accused Ashish Misra, was ensured only after the Supreme Court took a stern view of the incident in which four farmers were mowed down by an SUV belonging to the Union minister's son.

"The media is playing up the Priyanka factor but we know her standing. What magic did she weave in the Lok Sabha elections where her own brother lost in Amethi? All the Congress propaganda is only for media consumption," said a party leader.