Firdaus Khan
Almora (Uttarakhand). Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Almora, Uttarakhand where assembly polls are round the corner, lashed out at the BJP Government in the state for the rampant corruption and lack of development in the state. Sonia Gandhi started her address by recalling the relation of the great personalities like Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru with Almora.
She said, “I am happy to be here in the culturally rich Almora in Uttarakhand. The great personalities like Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had good relation with this historic place. Nehru Ji spent a valuable period of his life in the Alomora jail during the freedom struggle movement. Nehru Ji and our family have a long time relationship with Almora. This land is the birthplace of the great poet Sumitranandan Pant. I take this opportunity to pay my humble respects to that great poet.
The UPA government at the centre has framed policies for education, health, infrastructure, electricity and water but the expected results are not seen in Uttarakhand. I am sad to see that the policies made to ensure better living conditions for the poor and common man in the country are not being implemented in Uttrakhand properly. The Congress led UPA at the centre is committed to serve the poor and underprivileged. Congress party has been making policies for the welfare of the entire people. We send huge amounts of funds also to the state under various schemes. But the government in Uttarakhand doesn’t care to implement these welfare policies properly. It could not effectively utilize the funds sent by the Centre under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA policy by which every poor is ensured with a minimum of 100 days of job at a daily wages of Rs. 100.
The UPA framed policies like Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Health Mission to provide adequate health facilities for the poor, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan to ensure that every children in the age group of 6 to 14 get proper education, Mid-day meal scheme to ensure food to every children in the schools and Gram Sadak Yojana all aiming the benefits of the people. Now we are ready with the food Security Bill to make sure that no one in the country lives in hunger. But the government here in Uttarakhand is not serious to implement these policies in the required manner.
Through its discriminatory policies, the BJP government is creating a wedge between the plains and the hilly areas of the state.
Rajiv Gandhi Electrification Scheme is the policy of UPA to provide electricity at every place in the state. Though BJP had promised electricity at all the villages in the state, nothing has happened in Uttarakhand in this regard as yet. Only 13% of the total electricity is being made available to the hilly districts. BJP Government may be thinking that the people in hilly areas do not need electricity and they will manage with sun and moon.  The people from the hill stations are fleeing for the want of jobs.
The farmers are in utter distress. Women were completely ignored. The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre also has made policies for the minorities and the backward people. Even these policies are not being implemented here and so these sections of people are also not happy with the state Government. The vacancies meant for the SC/ST are being filled with the people connected with the BJP.  The dalits and adivasis in the state are also facing a lot of hardship.  Rampant corruption is seen across the state. BJP leaders do talk a lot about curbing corruption, but you know what is happening in the states run by it. They had to change many chief ministers because of corruption. When the cases of corruption were exposed, they changed their Chief Minister in Uttarakhand too. New industrial units were not set up. And those which were already set up are being destroyed. They are not serious for development. They ignored the difficulties and problems of the people in Uttarakhand. They work for the benefits of their own people and own party during their entire regime.  
But our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Ji always concerned about Uttarakhand and its development. We sent thousands of crores of rupees for the development of Uttarakhand. But you please ask BJP where those funds are gone.  
It was the Congress grovernment that brought about the developments in the state. Even today only those development works can be seen in Uttarakhand. The IIT, IIM, Central universities, AIIMS at Rishikesh, different management institutes, all brought by the Congress and we have recently laid the foundation stone for the Rishikesh-Karna Prayag railway line. This line will help to connect Rishikesh, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Srinagar. A lot of other developments works are also in process.
When the Congress was in power we had planned for a Medical College like hospital with all the modern facilities in Alomora. But BJP Government did not take step further for its implementation. We are planning to bring in more policies and steps for the development of your state and are mentioned in our election manifesto. Several agricultural projects, agricultural research centres, ensure adequate seed production, genetic farming in 2,000 villages, a training institute in Ranikhet, health insurance scheme for poor children and employment generation programmes for the youth are some among these. We also plan to connect all important district head offices to be connected by the National Highway. Like the one-rank pension scheme for the ex-service men and the contributory health schemes for the ex-servicemen designed by the UPA Government, we plan to frame policies for your soldiers working in the borders of our country too.  But all these policies could be implemented in Uttarakhand only if we have a government that works with honesty, sincerity, commitment and dedication. Only one party can provide such a government and that is the Congress party. We do not make hollow promises. We deliver what we promise.
I therefore request you to support the Congress and elect a Congress Government in Uttarakhand. I also request you to play an important role for the progress of this beautiful state by ensuring every single vote for the Congress”.