Lucknow, Oct 23 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday flagged off her party's "Pratigya Yatras" from Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki with seven promises, including loan waiver for farmers and jobs to 20 lakh people if voted to power in next year's Assembly polls.

This prompted state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna to say that the Congress leader's name should be changed to Priyanka “Ghoshna” and said the party's promises are mere poll gimmicks.

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During the launch of the yatras, the Congress promised purchase of wheat and paddy at Rs 2,500 per quintal and Rs 400 per quintal for sugarcane.

Besides jobs to 20 lakh people, the Congress leader said if voted to power in the state, her party will "halve the electricity bill of all".

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She also said her party will bring a separate manifesto for women, reiterating that the Congress will give 40 per cent tickets to women in the elections.

The party also reiterated that it will give smartphones to Class 12 pass girls and e-scooters to graduate girls if voted to power.

The party said it will give Rs 25,000 to families who faced financial crunch due to the Covid crisis.

Priyanka promised a separate manifesto for women in a week's time and stressed that their participation in politics is necessary.

"Till they do not move forward and participate in politics, they will not be able to fight their battles," she said.

Priyanka said providing smartphones and scooters to girls is a way to make them empowered.

"Smartphones can help in their safety and scooters will facilitate their movement," she said.

Referring to farmers, the AICC general secretary said they are helpless in the state.

"All have seen how farmers were killed brutally by the son of a minister in the Modi government. This in itself proves how much importance is being given to farmers," she said referring to the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

"How long it took to arrest the accused and his father, who is saving him, is still in the Modi government and not dismissed," she said.

"Farmers know what all they have been facing since the past few years. It is because of this that we have decided to waive their loans. Earlier too, the Congress had waived loans worth Rs 72,000 crore," she said.

Priyanka said on the lines of Congress-led Chhattisgarh government, which is purchasing paddy at Rs 2,500 per quintal, here too wheat and paddy will be purchased at the same price if her party is voted to power.

Farmers will get Rs 400 per quintal for sugarcane, she added.

On electricity bills, she said during the coronavirus crisis, small traders were worst affected and yet had to pay their power bill.

"So, it has been decided to waive the pending bills of the coronavirus period besides halving the bills of all," she said.

She said Rs 25,000 will be given to poor families to help them overcome their financial losses during the coronavirus crisis.

Priyanka said they will also regularise services of teachers, health workers and others if voted to power.

Meanwhile, making light of the pledges made by the Congress general secretary, UP minister Suresh Khanna said these were mere poll gimmicks.

"Look at the speed she is making announcements ahead of the UP Assembly elections while the party has no base in the state," Khanna said, stressing that the Congress leader's name should be changed to Priyanka “Ghoshna”.

"What prevents the Congress from implementing these in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Punjab. Are these states not in the country," he asked.

Khanna also termed Priyanka a "leader seen at the time of elections only" and claimed that this time, people will end their political tourism forever.

Khanna also accused Priyanka of misleading people.

He said the Congress had in the past given the slogan of “Garibi Hatao” but never did anything for the poor.

It was after 2014 that the poor were given free housing, electricity connection, gas connection and ration, he claimed.

Khanna said the Congress had been consigned to anonymity in the state decades ago, owing to its corrupt practices and gross inefficiency in carrying out welfare schemes.

Faced with the Herculean task to improve the party's tally in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress had in the last Assembly polls won only seven seats.

The party's yatras will be taken out on three different routes--Barabanki to Bundelkhand, Saharanpur to Mathura and Varanasi to Rae Bareli-- from October 23 to November 1 with the slogan, "Hum Vachan Nibhayenge".

The party intends to reach out to women, farmers and unemployed in Uttar Pradesh, where Priyanka has been working to regain the party's lost ground.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)