Firdaus Khan
Kulpahar, Mahoba (Uttar Pradesh). On the third day of the fifth phase of his campaign for Congress for the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh All India congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi fired a fresh salvo at BJP by questioning the sudden entry of BJP leader Uma Bharti into U.P’s electoral politics.“Now BJP has imported a leader from Madhya Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh. She was the Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh and was made to flee from there. Where was she when the people of drought-hit Bundelkhand were crying for relief? Where was she when we were putting our efforts to get a relief package sanctioned for Bundelkhand? She was nowhere in Uttar Pradesh when the people of U.P needed help” said the Congress General Secretary without naming Uma Bharti. Rahul Gandhi also questioned the 2004 slogan of BJP ‘India shining’.
While addressing a rally in Kulpahar in the Mahoba District of Uttar Pradesh the Congress General Secretary said that the state of Uttar Pradesh is caught between the punctured Cycle and the magic elephant which eats currency notes. Rahul Gandhi blamed the 22 years misrule by the non-Congress Governments in UP which dragged the state backwards. Rahul Gandhi asserted that the state needs a government that works for all caste, religion, aam aadmi, poor, minorities, dalits and adivasis and only Congress can provide it.
“During the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 while other parties made a number of hollow promises Congress had only promised a government of aam aadmi that works for poor, farmers, minorities, dalits and adivasis and we delivered it”, reminded Rahul Gandhi.
“The opposition, BJP and NDA, brought out a slogan India Shining. When asked about the origin of the slogan their senior leader said that they picked it from a television advertisement. They did not go to people, talked to them or enquired about their problems. They did not come to the drought-hit Bundelkhand, still believed blindly that India was shining. They did not fulfill any of their promises. They talked about terrorism, but did nothing. They never talked about poverty. There is only one party in the Country which is concerned about  poverty and that is the Congress” he underlined.”
“What did we do first? We implemented MNREGA, the biggest employment guarantee scheme, to guarantee jobs for all. How did we know about the problem of unemployment? Not from the TV, but from the people directly as we came to you, talked to you and enquired about the difficulties being faced by you” said Rahul Gandhi and continued “By this biggest employment generation scheme poor are assured of jobs if they intend to work. Every poor is assured of 100 days of work at a daily wages of Rs 120 thus amounting to Rs 12,000 a year”.
He then took on Mayawati and said, “But your Chief Minister Mayawati says that MNREGA has no benefit for the people of UP. Ask people in Kerala, Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi or Assam and everyone will vouch for the benefit of the policy. The poor people even in the remote villages will admit that for the first time they could secure jobs, earn respect and the feeling that a Government helped them. But Mayawati Ji says that there is no benefit. Yes, it is a fact that the people of U.P were not benefitted by MGNREGA, but the magic elephant of Mayawati, which eats currency notes instead of leaves and grass was benefitted”.
“When we made this MNREGA policy, the party which brought out ‘India shining’ slogan asked from where we can have money for the scheme,” informed Rahul Gandhi. “This is the money of your sweat and blood. This money is the result of hard work of farmers and labourers from UP in Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. If the country is developing it is because of your efforts, your blood and sweat,” said Rahul Gandhi amidst applauds. “We do only one thing. We ensure that the money we received from you reaches back to you,” he claimed.
Rahul Gandhi did not spare SP either. “Other side we see umeed ki Cycle (The cycle of hope). The same Cycle was punctured for three times in Uttar Pradesh. They posted criminals in the Police department under their regime. They did not implement MNREGA scheme properly, and now, when elections are round the corner, they promise unemployment allowance. We talk about jobs, SP talks about berozgari bhatta. How can we trust them again?”
Referring Bundelkhand package he informed that Rs. 8000 cr relief package was sanctioned by the Centre for the region. “Did you get anything? Did you get your wells built?” he asked and the crowd answered with a big no. “The minister’s children got tractors“, he commented.
“All these parties BJP, SP and BSP promised a lot but did nothing for the development in the past 22 years. Now they promise again that they will bring changes in Uttar Pradesh” he wondered. He then asked a volley of questions. “Who implemented MNREGA? Who brought the policy of waiving of loans for the farmers? Who opened the doors of the banks for the farmers?” he asked and continued “We, the Congress, brought in all these policies. We gave you right to education, implemented Janani Suraksha Yojana, Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana, National Highway policy, relief packages for Bundelkhand and Bunkars and now we are going to bring in right to food to ensure food to all”.
He then challenged the non-Congress Governments “Tell me one policy which was implemented by other parties for the benefit of the people. What did these parties do in the past 22 years? They did nothing but hollow promises”.
“You cannot understand the problems of the people till you go to them and interact with them” reiterated Rahul Gandhi and asked “Did Mayawati Ji or Mulayam Ji come to you in the past five years? Did they ever share your meals or drink water from your wells? And the cheering crowd responded with a roaring no.
“Now we will have to change Uttar Pradesh. I am sure the youth in U.P has already decided that. We will together work for bringing in positive changes in Uttar Pradesh. For the past 22 years other parties talked only about caste and religion. They make a number of promises but deliver nothing. But we will give you only one promise. Give Congress a chance, we will develop Uttar Pradesh” assured Rahul Gandhi.
 “So have faith in yourself. Trust Congress. Support and elect Congress candidates. We will work together for better development in Uttar Pradesh” concluded Rahul Gandhi.