Phulpur: Launching Congress party’s election campaign symbolically from late Jawaharlal Nehru’s constituency, Rahul Gandhi on Monday unleashed a scathing attack on Mayawati government calling it “corrupt and insensitive”. He also accused the BSP government of diverting funds given by the Centre for development schemes which he alleged went to the pockets ruling party workers and contractors. “Uttar Pradesh has been going backwards. Nehru was an MP from here but mafia and criminals are MPs from here these days,” Gandhi said addressing a Congress rally marking 123rd birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India.
“There has been no progress in this state. I have been in politics for seven years. In these years, I have learnt the most from the people of Uttar Pradesh,” he said. “The government in Delhi made MNREGA which says every individual should get work. But in Bundelkhand, it was not the case…. Crores of rupees which we sent vanished….The BSP workers, contractors profited from them while the poor were left gaping,” he said. “People from UP are much sought after in other states like Maharashtra and Punjab for their hard work. But, ironically, their own state is languishing in abject poverty”, he said.
Gandhi claimed he had got a package of Rs 3,000 crore for weavers of Aligarh but the money did not go into the hands of the people.
In a scathing attack on the Mayawati government for misuse of central development funds and corruption, he said he took up the case of Bundelkhand with the Centre which gave the region a special package of Rs 7,000 crore but it did not result on any tangible work on ground.
He charged the Mayawati government with having acquired thousands of acres of land of farmers and giving it to rich builders. Gandhi said the Centre has brought forward a pro-farmer Land Acquisition Bill “but opposition parties were against it. They were not saying anything openly but voicing their opposition in the comittee deliberations.” (PTI)