BJP leadership 'cutting Yogi to size': Priyanka Gandhi on Adityanath fielded from Gorakhpur

New Delhi, Jan 25: Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the BJP is cutting UP CM Yogi Adityanath to size after he was asked to contest from the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh election from his pocket borough of Gorakhpur.

The party has fielded Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban seat, which ended the speculations that he might contest from Ayodhya. When asked about the development, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Looks to me like his leadership is attempting to cut him to size. It's an open secret that they have been wanting to do so for sometime."

"Their internal pushes and pulls are beginning to reveal themselves in public now. I suppose in an autocratic system like theirs, there can only be one supreme leader," the Congress general secretary told PTI in an exclusive interview.

She then slammed the Yogi government over poor handling of the Covid pandemic, especially of the second wave, alleging that it failed to protect people, and provide them with health facilities, oxygen, medication and hospital beds.

"Even worse was the fact that while failing to do all of this it acted as an aggressor towards the public and those providing health services. Whether it was the 'asha bahus' who risked their lives to help others or doctors, nurses and health care professionals; instead of incentivising and supporting them the government created an atmosphere of fear," she alleged.

She alleged that the BJP government tried to cover the truth rather than trying to save lives. She continued, "Having said that, I cannot say how deeply this will affect the upcoming elections -- people tend to put tragedies behind them and move forward.

The assembly election for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly is scheduled to be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and the votes will be counted on March 10. PTI