Rahul Gandhi claims Congress will transform UP in five years

Congress General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi, started his five-day tour of Uttar Pradesh today. Rahul sounded the poll bugle for the Congress party last Monday from Phulpur. Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to poll next year.

Reiterating the Congress’ stand in Barabanki, Rahul spoke about the corruption in the state, and how it is crippling the development of the state. Last week at Phulpur Rahul had said, “Even as the country is developing, Uttar Pradesh is growing backwards. Nehru was the MP of this region. Today the state is being ruled by mafias and corrupt MPs."

While he had come under fire for saying that people in the state are forced to go out of the state and beg to make a living, he chose his words carefully today, and talked about how successive BSP, SP and BJP governments have fattened their pockets and left the state in ruins over the last twenty years.

The Congress scion claimed that over the next five years the Congress will transform the state into a preferred industrial destination in the country. “All Congress-ruled states like Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala are moving forward in the path of development,” he said.

Rahul also lashed out at the Mayawati-led BSP government in the state. He said that the state government was working against the interests of the common man and that the “Congress party will make a people’s government in Uttar Pradesh after the assembly elections in 2012”.

Rahul attacked the state government’s lack of initiative to tackle corruption. He said that this attitude has rendered flagship programmes launched by the Centre, including the MNREGS and health schemes for the poor, which have transformed the lives of people in rural India, useless in Uttar Pradesh.

“Funds meant for development and people’s welfare do not reach the targeted beneficiaries. The MNREGA fund released by the Central government from time to time does not reach the aam admi. It is being guzzled by the middlemen. I want to ask the BSP government where this money goes. Who are the real beneficiaries of this money?” he said.

Rahul said that the UPA has taken several initiative aimed at improving the condition of people at grass root level. “We have allocated Rs 6,000 directly for weavers and waived loan up to Rs 3,000 and we have not done it through the UP government because then you would not get it.”

The Congress leader is expected to campaign in Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti and Kushinagar in UP over the next five days.

Agencies

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