Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday took aim at Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi in Parliament for carrying a “Palestine bag” and her claim that the Uttar Pradesh government had sent youth to a “war zone” (a reference to Israel) for “employment”.
Adityanath’s comments came when he was speaking on the issue of unemployment, which was raised by SP and Congress MLAs during the ongoing winter session of the UP Assembly.
He responded to the figures given by opposition leaders and questioned the appointments made under the UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC) during the previous Samajwadi Party government in UP.
“Yesterday, a Congress leader was walking around the Parliament with a bag of ‘Palestine’. And we are sending UP youth to Israel. So far, 5,600 UP youths have gone to Israel for construction work” (Congress leader yesterday was in Parliament with a bag that had Palestine written on it. Meanwhile, we are sending UP youth to Israel. More than 5,600 youth have been sent to Israel for construction work,” Adityanath said.
He claims that these youths are sending free food and lodging and an additional one and a half lakh rupees to their families. He also claimed that these youths have “security guarantees”.
He informed the House that recently, a team of Israeli officials had visited the state and expressed interest in recruiting more youth from UP because of the “excellent work ethic and skills they have shown”.
“The world has now recognized the strength of the skills of our youth. When they send back the 1.5 lakh they earned, they directly contribute to the development of our state,” claimed Adityanath.
Adityanath’s remarks on Priyanka’s bag drew a strong response from the Congress against “personal attacks”. Congress Legislature Party Leader Aradhana Mishra later said, “Personal comments against any woman are not expected from the Leader of the Assembly. The Congress Party has always stood for the betterment of people’s lives and public interest.”
Meanwhile, Adityanath claimed that his government has taken many steps for the welfare of the youth in the state and asked the opposition to take time to understand the government’s policies and initiatives in this regard and implement them in their respective constituencies.
Why should you buy our membership?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be confused and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package