Zee Media Bureau
Hamirpur: In a bid to woo electorate of Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday addressed two rallies in Bundelkhand and Deoria, while accusing the BJP of trying to polarise the voters in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a public rally in Hamirpur in Bundelkhand region, Rahul told people of Bundelkhand to dream big and not demand `railway line`, but to bring in industrial companies.
“You have to demand industrialisation to generate employment. You have to dream big...You`ll are saying connect Bundelkhand to Delhi but this place should be connected to America,” said Rahul.
Claiming that SP and BSP neglected UP during the last 25 years of their rule while Congress brought development to the states which voted for it, he said, "We will take Bundelkhand forward, but for that the vision should be wide. Strengthen Congress and we will bring change."
He further asked the electorate to vote for a government which would make Bundelkhand like Delhi or Bangalore.
Rahul said the Centre sends money to Bundelkhand, but the state government never lets the people reap benefit of the fund.
"The Central government sent Rs 3,000 crore package for the development of backward region of Bundelkhand from the Centre, but its benefit did not reach the people".
"Congress government is sending thousands of crores of rupees for development, for roads. But it doesn`t reach here. It disappears. The day you bring bring Congress government, the work we are doing in Rajasthan, Kerala, Maharashtra and other states, we will be able to do it in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
In a bid to connect with the voters, Rahul said he has a long association with Bundelkhand. “I had come here when people were in crisis and Centre sent a package...Did you receive it”, asked Rahul, to which the crowd replied: “No”.
Giving example of Rajasthan, where his party is in power, Rahul told the crowd that water scarcity is also in Rajasthan but the Congress has ensured development in the western state.
Likewise, had the UP been ruled by the Congress, people of the state would have benefited by getting industries.
Till Bundelkhand is not developed, people belonging to the region will go to Rajasthan and Delhi, noted Rahul, adding that he wanted development to come to Bundelkhand.
With industrialisation, barren land can now lead to profits, said the Gandhi scion.
He also talked about empowering women and youth.
Our approach is not based on religion or communities, ours is that of one India, Rahul commented.
Listing his party’s achievements, the Congress vice president said his government is making an industrial corridor from Delhi to Mumbai in the next five years.
He also pointed out that the Congress brought employment scheme (NREGS) which has helped millions to get employment.
“In Rs 1, we will give you foodgrain. We fought for this in Parliament for years,” further noted Rahul, adding no person in this country shall go hungry now. The main beneficiaries of the food scheme will be people of Uttar Pradesh, said Rahul.
Criticising the UP government for not implementing the food security scheme before 2014 General Elections, Rahul said it was illogical.
“Will hunger begin only after elections,” asked Rahul.
Rahul further hit out at the Samajwadi Party for not proving employment to youth, which it promised. “Lakhs of jobless youth are found in Mumbai, Delhi. The SP government has failed them,” said Rahul.
He further said that Bundelkhand`s voice is heard by Delhi and not by Lucknow.
The Congress vice president also hailed the power of the youth in Uttar Pradesh, saying it is the largest in the country.
Rahul Gandhi will now move to Deoria in the eastern part of the state.
Earlier, he had visited Aligarh and Rampur in the western part of the state where he criticised the state`s ruling Samajwadi Party and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for engineering communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in which over 40 people were killed.
