Blaming the BSP and Samajwadi Party for neglecting the plight of Bundelkhand, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today said the Centre took the initiative and provided a Rs 8,000 crore package to the region despite it being the responsibility of the state government.
“It was not the responsibility of the central government but since the UP government was not seen in Bundelkhand, a package of Rs 8,000 crore was provided…and it could have changed the entire area…the India Shining which the BJP talked about could have started”, Gandhi said addressing an election meeting here.
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Referring to the Bundelkhand package, he said that the money which was sent for digging up wells and providing tractors were misused and the farmers who also invested their share for the wells faced losses.
“The tractors were given to the sons of ministers…don’t know what they are doing with it…running them in their sitting rooms”, Gandhi said adding that when he raised these issues, Mayawati said Rahul Gandhi was enacting a drama.
On the package for weavers, he said that they came to him and he took them to the planning commission and the prime minister took only two minutes and UPA, the government of the common people, provided a package.
“This was not our work but that of Uttar Pradesh government, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav…we had not made any promises for Bundelkhand and weavers in 2004 and 2009 but when they came to us we worked for them”, Rahul said.
Reiterating that he has not come here to ask for votes, Rahul Gandhi said the real power is in the hands of the people but regretted that the governments in the state were wasting their strength and knowledge and not giving them due respect.
Making clear his intentions of continuing his association with UP which he referred as his state “my family lived in Allahabad and I am MP from Amethi and this is my struggle”.
Gandhi said after the poor show of 2007 (22 seats) all the senior leaders advised him not to go for campaigning.
“But I wanted to work for the people, who are facing atrocities and am not concerned about the results”, he said stressing that he would continue to work in the state.
“Since 2007, I have been seen in workshops, among farmers, labourers, in peoples’ homes and among members of the minority communities and would continue to be seen there”, he said adding that change cannot happen merely through promises.
“I want to work for the long term and am not here to give election speeches”, he said.
Reiterating that the state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh make him angry, he said that in whitewashed hospitals he has seen dogs inside operation theatres, “Jiska operation hua (Under such circumstances) samjho woh mar gaya”, he said.
Making light of BJP’s “India Shining’ slogan, he said that it was the senior most leader of that party Advaniji who saw a TV advertisement and it was coined.
“I was fighting an election for the first time from Amethi at that time had said that it was doom for the BJP as it is not the work of the leader to see TV and pick slogans from it”, he said.
“It is the duty of the leader to go among the people, talk to them as the knowleged they have is not among the politicians and bureaucrats and common people”, he said adding that bureaucrats make presentations but they are all hollow.
“It is our duty to take your voice to Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha”, he said adding that though leaders claim that they will change the world it is the strength of common people which has to be taken to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha.
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