UP Dy CM Dinesh Sharma says Priyanka Gandhi's children will be next crusaders of 'Garibi hatao'

Lucknow, Apr 02: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma on Tuesday mockingly said that AICC general secretary (UP East) Priyanka Gandhi's children will be the next generation of crusaders in fight against poverty.

Taking a jibe at Congress, Sharma said the party has used 'garibi hatao (eradicate poverty)' slogan as a "ploy" to stay in power for many years.

''Nehru ji had said 'garibi hatao', Indira ji had said 'garibi hatao', Rajiv ji had said 'garibi hatao', Sonia ji said 'garibi hatao'. Her son said 'garibi hatao', now Vadra ji(Priyanka)will say 'garibi hatao'. Then her children Miraya and Raihan will say 'garibi hatao','' says UP deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.

''But was the poverty eliminated? It has been 70 years since independence, for 3/4th of its duration there was Congress govt. But poverty was not eliminated. Poor became poorer, rich became richer. The poor were only exploited,'' he further said.

Many BJP leaders have attacked the Congress after the latter promised to implement its proposed Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), if voted to power. The later poverty alleviation scheme has proposed to give Rs 72,000 per annum to poorest families in India which makes up the bottom 20 percent of the population.

The proposed scheme is likely to cost Rs 3.5 lakh crore to the exchequer, which Congress president Rahul Gandhi said is doable. He said his party consulted various economists before formulating the NYAY. The Congress president while announcing the scheme at a press conference in New Delhi on March 25, described the scheme as "India's final assault on poverty".