Lucknow, Jun 29: Terming Gurajat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a "corporate sector sponsored candidate", newly appointed AICC in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Madhusudan Mistry yesterday said his "aura" has been created by the BJP.
"Gujarat chief minister is a corporate sponsored candidate who wants to gain maximum benefit from this country," Mistry said in his first interaction with the media here after assuming charge.
The Congressman who also comes from Gujarat said he knows "Modi and his men very well" as also his strategy.
"I don't want to talk much about Modi... An aura has been created around him .. When they talk about Gujarat model I feel like laughing", he said citing the various parametres like industrial investment and primary education to stress that it (Gujarat) was behind other states.
"On the social indications it is way behind Kerala... take any indication poverty, malnutrition ....It is also behind UP and Bihar", Mistry said adding that he prays to god that no state or the Centre adopts the Gujarat model of development.
IAS ,IPS officers and ministers are in jail while the chief minister is also facing charges in the "model of good governance", he said.
When pointed out that some Congress leaders are also in jail, Mistry said "they are not on charges of fake encounter or riots".
When his attention was drawn to BJP's performance in Gujarat assembly elections, Mistry quipped that it was the outcome of not Modi's 'charisma " but of Congress' weakness.
"Issues in Lok Sabha and assembly polls are different..", he said throwing the challenge to the BJP to win the parliament elections.
Taking exception to comparisons with Amit Shah who has been appointed in-charge of BJP's state unit, Mistry said that he has not gone to jail on charges of killing people or for fake encounter.
On Shah's statements regarding CBI inquiry against him, the Congress leader said that cases against him are on the directives of the High Court and Supreme Court and not ordered by the UPA government.
"He is issuing wrong statements...Why is he not saying the same in the court... He should give similar statement in the court," Mistry said.
On the new responsibility given to him in the party, Mistry said that he does not talk of doing any miracle but has been sent to give his 100 per cent, improve things in the party and ensure that the Congress wins maximum seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
"As the victory target was achieved in Kerala and Karnataka similarly it would be done in UP," he said, adding that "with all the leaders and workers contesting the elections unitedly I believe that no problem is going to emerge in UP as I have full faith in the people here."
To a question on inflation as an election issue, he said it was a matter of concern and the steps to check it would be taken up with the government.
Mistry, who earlier in the day held meetings with the zonal in-charges, coordinators and party MLAs, said that he would embark on the extensive tours of the state from July 9 to 14 and the next phase from July 18 to 24.
Mistry said that during the tours he would take stock of the situation and formalise a strategy.
On his strategy to uplift the party's electoral fortunes, Mistry said he would not reveal it and admitted that he has been given some tips by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
Besides Mistry, secretary in-charge of the state Rana Goswami, Zubair Khan and Prakash Joshi and UPCC president Nirmal Khatri were also present in the meeting with the Congress leaders yesterday.
