PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 9 -- Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav of trying to create a vote bank among students and youth ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, claiming that neither leader was genuinely concerned about their (students') interests. Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House in Prayagraj before leaving for Lucknow, Maurya questioned why Rahul Gandhi was not visiting Jharkhand if he was genuinely concerned about students. "His only agenda is to visit states ruled by the BJP and defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But people understand this," he said. Maurya claimed that the Opposition leaders did not enjoy the support of youth, the poor, farmers or women. Referring to Gandhi's visit to Prayagraj, he said the Congress leader should also visit the grave of his grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, and take a dip at the Sangam if he considered himself a "janeu-dhari". He also targeted Gandhi over his party's historical association with Prayagraj, saying former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was elected from the city but it did not witness the kind of development seen under the BJP government. He said Gandhi should visit religious and tourist sites such as Shringverpur Dham, the Sangam area and Mankameshwar Dham to see the development. On Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula and the suggestion that "P" could also stand for "Pandit", Maurya alleged that the SP's PDA politics was "fake". He questioned why Yadav did not remember backward classes, Dalits or Brahmins during his tenure as chief minister from 2012 to 2017. Maurya alleged that people from these communities were subjected to harassment and that land and houses were encroached upon during the SP government. He further accused the SP of providing protection to criminals and mafia leaders and giving them Lok Sabha and assembly election tickets. "The history of the Samajwadi Party loudly tells us that it cannot distance itself from hooliganism and criminals," he said, alleging that the party was invoking PDA politics as part of a "divide and rule" strategy. Claiming that the "double-engine" BJP government had ensured development of all sections, Maurya said the BJP would form the government in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term in 2027. Earlier, Maurya interacted with BJP workers at the Circuit House and set a target of winning all 12 assembly seats in Prayagraj district. BJP Kashi region vice-president Awadhesh Chandra Gupta, city unit president Sanjay Gupta, Trans-Ganga president Nirmala Paswan, trans-Yamuna president Rajesh Shukla were among those present. After the interaction, Maurya visited the Ashok Nagar residence of Nirmala Paswan and met party workers and their family members before leaving for Lucknow from Bamrauli airport....