The Congress on Wednesday slammed BJP saying that it 'ignored' the plight of Uttar Pradesh's once thriving sugar industry. It also accused BJP of neglecting farmers' frequent calls to increase the price of sugarcane. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Shravasti and Basti. 

"Why does Shravasti has the highest infant mortality rate in UP? Why have 189 primary schools in Basti been declared unusable? Why has the BJP neglected Basti's sugarcane farmers and sugar mills?" Ramesh said on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", the Congress leader said Shravasti ranks among India's most underdeveloped districts on several parameters and 96 of every 1,000 children die within a year of being born, much more than the UP's shamefully high average of 68 deaths per 1000 births.