Varanasi:

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of seeking votes on the basis of “lies”, and said he now does not talk about his poll promises of doubling farmers’ income and generating jobs.

“Hindu religious books nowhere say to speak lies,” Mr Gandhi told an election rally here after offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, during which he was also joined by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that PM Modi now doesn’t speak on his earlier poll promises of doubling farmers’ income and generating jobs for youths, whereas there is “no mismatch” in the Congress’ words and deeds.

He cited the example of fulfilling poll promises of writing off farmers’ loans by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh and also procurement of paddy at the Minimum Support Price of Rs 2,500 a quintal.

“Not in the name of dharma, rather he is winning votes on the basis of lies,” the former Congress chief said, attacking Modi.

On his arrival in Varanasi, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, days before the eight assembly seats in the district go to the polls.

The brother-sister duo reached the historic temple straight from the airport, temple and Congress sources said.

Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Varanasi is also PM Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier in the day, Union minister Smriti Irani had visited the temple.

After their temple visit, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left for the Pindara assembly constituency on the outskirts of Varanasi where they addressed a rally in favour of Congress leader Ajay Rai who is up against sitting BJP MLA Awdhesh Singh.

Polling will be held in Varanasi in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7.

Continuing with his tirade against the PM, Rahul Gandhi said, “Actually his ‘double engine’ are ‘Adani and Ambani’ (Industrialists). This kind of double engine can never provide employment to people.”

He said while Indian students stranded in war-torn Ukraine are sending videos of their painful condition “in the absence of help” from the Indian government, BJP leaders are “dismissing the videos as those of failed students”.

“We have the only leader in the world who asked people to beat utensils (thali bajao) to chase away coronavirus,” he said, targeting PM Modi.

The Congress leader said PM Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have added a third problem for the people of Uttar Pradesh in the form of stray cattle, along with unemployment and price rise.

In her brief speech, Priyanka Gandhi reaffirmed her party’s resolve to promote women-centric agendas if the Congress comes to power.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)