Rae Bareli: Like Kalavati, turned
overnight into a mascot of the underprivileged by Rahul Gandhi
after he narrated her plight in Lok Sabha, another poor woman
Vidyavati on Monday had Sonia Gandhi coming to her aid when the
Congress President visited a dalit hamlet in her constituency.
Clasping Gandhi`s hand, the middle-aged woman took the
Congress chief, who interacted with residents of Aghoura
village here on the first day of her three-day stay, to her
dilapidated hut which didn`t even have a charpoy.
After the woman narrated her woes, a visibly moved
Gandhi asked her representative to ensure that the woman gets
an Indira Awas house and other benefits. All the while
Vidyavati held Gandhi`s hands while cameras clicked on.
Dressed in a striped brown sari with her head covered,
Gandhi, who is affectionately called `Bahu` (daughter-in-law)
by elderly women in her constituency, frequently got down from
her vehicle to accept their greetings.
"Where is the ADM?" Gandhi asked when the women
pointed to the anomalies in various schemes and complained
that they were not getting foodgrains.
With her party locked in a turf war for dalit votes,
Gandhi mostly chose to hold the `chaupal` meetings at the
houses of dalits, sitting on a charpoy amidst men and women
and chatting about their day to day problems.
Gandhi also visited the house of Rameshwar Pasi in the
same village, where the conditions were no different.
Another villager Jurakhan fell on Gandhi`s feet
pleading for justice for his "murdered" son Krishna, whose
body was found hanging from a roof three months back. He
alleged that the police did not register a case.
Gandhi immediately called the local police officer, who
promised to look into the matter.
The Congress President`s last visit, soon after the
elections, was a thanksgiving tour but this time she started
off with inspections of works done under the central
government funded schemes in various villages.
At Sheshpur Samodha village, residents alleged
corruption in a pond work under NREGA. An officer from the
local administration was summoned and Gandhi asked him about
complaints from residents about not getting work.
As the officer tried to give statistics, emboldened
locals shouted "do not mislead Madam".
Gandhi`s visit to the constituency comes weeks after
the controversy over the alleged derogatory remarks made by
UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi against BSP chief and UP Chief
Minister Mayawati.
Gandhi also visited Beria ka Tola village with excited
villagers waving from both sides of the roads as her convoy
passed.
In Pahadpur village, Mohana Devi said, "Gandhi sat on
a charpoy to hear my complaint. Hopefully she will do
something."
In another Dalit village Sabji, villagers complained
of problems in the Mid-Day Meal scheme.
Gandhi will be inaugurating a newly constructed
building of Feroz Gandhi Institute tomorrow and a customer
care building of Raebareli Telephone Exchange on Wednesday.
Bureau Report
