Alleging that funds meant for central schemes were being misused by the Uttar Pradesh government even as the projects were running smoothly in other states, Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday exhorted electorates to realise the importance of their vote.
"The funds sent to the state do not reach you. It is eaten up by the government here. You must have seen how many schemes have been given by the Centre and how much fund is given for them, but it gets stuck in the state," she said in an election rally.
Schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Employment Scheme (MNREGS) have been made keeping in mind the requirement of the people and is running smoothly in other states, she said.
Exhorting the electorates to realise the importance of their votes, she said, "You should realise your strength and that of your vote. Make only that person an MLA who works for you...whose intentions are good...It is the habit of leaders that they make you forget your strength so that you think that they are very powerful."
Reiterating that politics in Uttar Pradesh has become "opportunistic", Gandhi said, "Leaders come and make promises on caste and religious lines and mislead the people and then snatch their rights."
"The difference between Congress and other parties is that it treats all equally...not concentrate on any particular caste or religion and work for the future of all," she said.
