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Rahul says his prime focus is to uplift working class

April 01, 2014 19:10 IST

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his prime focus is to uplift the lot of 70 crore-strong working class engaged in the country's unorganised sector.

He also regretted the attempts to stall the crucial Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament and blamed the opposition for it.

Addressing an election rally, Gandhi detailed the achievements of the Congress-led UPA government in improving the standards of poor people during its ten-year rule at the Centre.

"There are about 70 crore people in India, who are employed in a variety of jobs including as electricians and security guards. We want to uplift them," he said.

He claimed that 15 crore people below poverty Line were pulled out from that category during the UPA rule.

"We will fight for poor. We have taken out 15 crore people from the below poverty category to above poverty category, which is five times more than the NDA record. We want to help you," he stressed.

Vowing to make India a super power, he expressed concern over the delay in bringing reservation for women in Parliament.

"We want to convert 'Hindustan' into a super power. But without the empowerment of women, it cannot be done. We want 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. But who is preventing it? It is NDA and the opposition. We had done it in local bodies we will do it for you," he said.

Gandhi also said 2000 women police stations should be set up across the country.

Rahul Gandhi said that the UPA government did remarkably well during its decade-long governance at the Centre, while the BJP talked divisive politics.

Stating that the "Gujarat model" would not be applicable in the entire country, Gandhi told an election meeting, "The UPA government has performed remarkably well... and don't get misguided by tall promises, and vote for the Congress candidates."

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