Priyanka Gandhi tears into Modi, calls him chief publicity minister

CONGRESS leader Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday (24) termed prime minister Narendra Modi as "Pradhan Prachar Mantri" and accused the BJP of "wasting drinking water" to clean roads in Banda, an arid town in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region.

Priyanka's comments drew a sharp reaction from chief minister Yogi Adityanath who said her statements show that the fear of defeat has gripped the Congress.

The Congress's attack on Modi and the BJP came a day ahead of the prime minister's visit to Banda.

Water from tankers were being used to clean roads to "welcome our Pradhan Prachar Mantri (chief publicity minister)", she claimed.

This is happening at a time when "the entire Bundelkhand, the men and women living there, school going children, crops, birds and animals are facing the spectre of

drought," the Congress general secretary said.

In a tweet, Priyanka said, "Is he a 'chowkidar' (watchman) or a 'shahnshah' (emperor) coming from Delhi."

Rebutting allegations, Yogi Adityanath said, "The fear of defeat has gripped the Congress so much that it can be proved from the fact that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has termed 11 seconds of washing of keechad (mud), as the washing of an entire road."

In a tweet, he said, "The Congress is a factory of lies. Even after tendering an apology in the Supreme Court, these Congressmen are not mending their ways.'

His reference was to Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressing regret in the Supreme Court on Monday over his remark "chowkidar (watchman) Narendra Modi chor hain" in connection with the Rafale judgment.

(PTI)