Rahul's 'Khaat' photo-op won't help Congress win UP: BJP

Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said the former is responsible for the grand old party's present condition, adding their fortunes would not change as they would yet again witness defeat in the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was reacting to the Congress vice-president's 2500 km-long 'Kisan Yatra' from Deoria today, said this would not make much of a difference as they are now paying the price for their flip-flops in the country.

"Their fortunes would not change unless they understand the ground realities and mere photo-ops would not help them," he added.

In a bid to reinvigorate Congress and end its 27-year exile from power in the politically important Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi will today embark on a 2500 km-long Kisan Yatra from Deoria.

"My yatra from Deoria to Delhi starting September 6 is a campaign to secure the rights of the poor, farmers and labourers in government resources," Gandhi's office said in a tweet.

The 'Deoria to Dilli yatra', which will start from Panchlari Kritpura village, will be marked by a door-to-door campaign of collecting 'Kisan Mangpatras' (charters of farmers demands), one-to-one interaction with farmers through Khaat (cot) Sabhas, a concept similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Chai par Charcha' during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, and roadside meetings.