THE WAR of words is getting hotter with each passing day in Uttar Pradesh as the dates for polls are drawing closer. The ongoing verbal duel between the senior BJP firebrand leader, Uma Bharti and the Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, has become personal and Uma Bharti dubbed these ‘personal attacks’ as a sign of political bankruptcy.

 
Addressing the media here in Lucknow on Saturday, Uma Bharti said Rahul Gandhi must not divert the attention of masses from real issues which were development and poor law and order in the state.
 
Commenting on some of the recent remarks that were made by the Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a public rally in the Bundelkhand region, she said Rahul called her an ‘imported’ leader who came to the state from Madhya Pradesh. She said she wanted to ask Rahul Gandhi if the nation can accept her mother from Italy as an Indian then there should be no hesitation and problem to the people of Bundelkhand region to accept her as she belonged to the neighbouring state.
“Rahul pehle apni Maa ka background check karen tab apni Bua par koi tippani karen, aur maine Madhya Pradesh me inke Guru Digvijay Singh ki chutti kar di thi aur ab yahan UP me in dono Guru-chele ki chutti kar dungi,” (Rahul must check the background of her mother first only then he should made comments on me. In Madhya Pradesh, I defeated his mentor Digvijay Singh in the elections and now in Uttar Pradesh I will defeat both Digvijay and Rahul Gandhi) said Uma Bharti.
 
She dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s visits to the homes of Mallah community and eating pakodas as a political stunt. “What Rahul is doing in the Bundelkhand region can aptly be called as an election gimmick, and if he was so serious then he should have invited the members of Mallah community to Delhi and offered them sandwiches,” told Uma Bharti.
 
Attacking the UPA government and Rahul Gandhi in particular, Uma Bharti asked who was feeding the money to the elephants in Uttar Pradesh. If there was a big scam in the NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) programmes in Uttar Pradesh under the rule of Mayawati in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government, then the UPA was also equally responsible for sending the money.
 
“Rahul Gandhi kept on sending the money to Uttar Pradesh in order to save his own UPA government at the Centre. The Congress and BSP have been working hand in glove and they need the support of BSP Members of Parliament in Delhi and in return the UPA was favouring the BSP government in Lucknow,” charged Uma Bharti.
 
Uma Bharti also alleged that the Congress was trying to divide the society in the name of reservation to minorities. She also looked disturbed over some of the harsh, derogatory and un-parliamentary words and phrases that have been used by some of the senior Congress leaders against her in different rallies.
She said she was not born with a silver spoon like the Yuvraj of Congress who also happens to be the grandson and son of former Indian Prime Ministers like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. “I belong to a poor family and have struggled a lot to reach to this place in politics. For me politics is to work for the welfare of the poor people especially for the womenfolk and I will continue to do that,” said Uma Bharti.