Firdaus Khan
Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh). For the first time in the campaigning for the ongoing UP assembly polls, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attended an election meeting together at Raebareli. The Congress President held all the non-Congress parties like BSP, SP and BJP, that ruled Uttar Pradesh in the past 22 years, responsible for the present pathetic state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh.
“Thank you very much for the warm welcome extended to me. My relation with Raebareli is known to the entire world. I can confidently say that this region has always stood with me and I also have tried my level best to support you from the core of my heart. I have now come to you at a crucial time of elections” she said, starting her address.
“During elections those people, who never bothered about your worries and problems in the past five years, also approach you for your support. I feel sad to see the pathetic state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh. The parties which ruled the state for more than two decades destroyed the entire state. The state of Uttar Pradesh was not like this when Congress was in power. Nobody had imagined this sacred place of legendary Pandit Jawar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi will witness such deteriorated conditions like we see now,” she said.
Expressing her concern over the situation in UP, Sonia Gandhi said, “Today the people in U.P have been facing a lot of difficulties. Farmers are facing problems because of the non-availability of electricity, water, fertilizer and seeds. The youth in the state are suffering because of the lack of jobs as there are no proper industries. Crime and atrocities against my sisters here have been increasing. The children are not able to get proper education. No proper health facilities are available for the common man. No one is here to listen to the poor. There is nothing called law and order. The parties which ruled the state for the past 22 years had no concern for the development of Uttar Pradesh”.
Referring to the UPA Government’s policies, the Congress President continued, “The Government at the Centre made policies and schemes for the welfare of the people and also sent huge amount of funds to every state without any discrimination. In fact, it extended larger help to the states like Uttar Pradesh considering its backwardness. We want all people across the country to be a part of development. We want to bring in positive changes in the lives of my brothers and sisters”.
She said that the Centre made a number of schemes for the development of U.P and sent more than one lakh crore to the state under various schemes. “The Centre had sent Rs. 20,000 crore to UP under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA policy which guarantees jobs to the poor, Rs. 9000 crore was sent under NRHM to ensure proper treatment and medicine for the poor, more than Rs. 23000 crores was sent under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and Rs. 8000 crore for Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana.”
“But where all these funds are vanished? She asked and continued, “No doubt, all these funds were swindled out in corruption and scams. These parties have cheated the entire brothers and sisters in the state. They overlooked the interests of the people”.
The Congress President was also critical of the state government for obstructing the implementation of the Centre's schemes and efforts to develop the state, particularly Raebareli and Amethi.
“There was a deliberate attempt to discriminate against Raebareli. They obstructed every proposal by the Central Government for the benefit of this area. I can give you a number of examples to prove this. The Central Government was planning to bring a hospital like AIIMS with all modern amenities at Lalganj but the state Government refused to provide the land for it. Similarly we had approved Rs. 240 crore for the drainage and sewerage in Raebareli, Rs. 170 crore for drinking water scheme and had made a proposal of Rs. 64 crore for the roads. But, the state Government did not take up the matter with the Centre. The state Government authorities denied permission to conduct an army recruitment camp in Raebareli. I want to ask you whether the youth in our Amethi and Raebareli have no right for jobs. Is there any fault with them?” asked the M.P from Raebareli.
“We repaired and cleaned the water canals in the region to help the farmers but the state Government did nothing to make the water available. We therefore granted the status of national project to the Sharda Sahayak Nahar,” she informed.
“There is no shortage of fertilizers at the Centre. But the system of its distribution is not proper in U.P and the farmers are not able to get the adequate fertilizers. Though we had increased the procurement prices to help the farmers, they could not avail of the benefits because of the wrong policies of the state government. To ensure electricity to everybody under Rajiv Gandhi Electrification Scheme, the poles were erected and wiring was done by the Centre but the transformer was not installed by the state Government. There are many such policies which were obstructed by the state government. Despite all this, we constructed the bridge over Ganga, brought a Railway Factory in Raebareli and also started institutions like NIFT to provide technical education to the youth and to make them self reliant,” said Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress President said that her party has always been committed to work for the entire section of the people. “We will continue this principle, come whatever may. But here in Uttar Pradesh it is a matter of regret that all ideals and principles are at risk where a phase of petty interest, corruption and politics of opportunism has been launched in the name of caste and religion,” she added.
Reminding the people about the earlier alliances in the state, Sonia Gandhi said, “All the parties - BJP, SP or the BSP - have joined hands for power time and again and have together ruined the state. None of these parties are concerned for the development. No one is bothered about the pain and difficulties of the poor. There can be no hope of development in the entire state including Rae Bareli from these parties”.
“What we require for the happiness of the people and the development of the state is hard work, devotion, commitment and determination,” she asserted.
“The UPA Government at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has set an example for this. Only the Congress can provide such good governance. It has a long history of development and service. Congress is the party of all classes, caste, creed and community. It is the hope of the people. It has been fighting, since the beginning, to protect the interests of every citizen in the country. Now we are fighting to bring back the happiness and development in Uttar Pradesh and for that we need your support and cooperation,” said the UPA Chairperson.
“Do not be misled by the campaign of other political parties and support Congress candidates in Raebareli and in the entire Uttar Pradesh by ensuring every single vote for the Congress,” concluded Sonia Gandhi.