Sonia calls the shots, not Manmohan, says Advani

The BJP kicked off its Lok Sabha poll campaign for Uttar Pradesh on Sunday from Gorakhpur, with the party’s PM-in-waiting launching a frontal assault on the Centre and harping on the Ram Mandir issue yet again. BJP president Rajnath Singh announced a sweeping loan waiver for farmers while party leader Arun Jaitley attacked Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati. 

Gorakhpur, a crucial centre of eastern UP, is a traditional party stronghold. The well-populated rally at MP Inter-College Ground was virtually a personal show of strength by Gorakhpur MP and Hindutva strongman Yogi Adityanath. The Yogi, who is mahant of the famous Gorakhnath Temple, wields considerable influence in this region bordering Nepal. 

“It is not a Manmohan Singh government in Delhi. It’s Sonia raj,” thundered Advani. “It’s actually Sonia Gandhi who runs the government from behind the scenes while Manmohanji just follows orders,” he quipped. 

Advani also harped on his favourite Ram Temple theme, saying: “We will now say Jai Sri Ram only after the temple is built in Ayodhya.”