UP: Double attack on Maya as Sonia, Priyanka share dais

Sharing the dais for the first time in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and daughter Priyanka on Tuesday lambasted the Mayawati regime for lack of development alleging large-scale corruption in implementation of central schemes worth Rs 1 lakh crore.

Addressing an election rally in Rae Bareli, the mother-daughter duo held all the non-Congress parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party that ruled Uttar Pradesh over the last two decades, responsible for its current "sorry state of affairs" saying that the state was not like this when the Congress was in power.

Asserting that the Centre never differentiated among states when it came to providing them funds for development, Sonia listed schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the National Rural Health Mission, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and several other plans under which over Rs 1 lakh crore were given to the BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

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Alleging corruption in the funds allocated to UP, she asked, "After all where is that money. Where was it spent? It's clear that scams and corruption have taken place."

The Congress president was also critical of the state government for "obstructing" the implementation of Centre's schemes and efforts to develop the state particularly Rae Bareli and Amethi represented by her and Rahul Gandhi.

She said that the Centre made a number of plans for the development of the state but they were "obstructed". Citing BSP's earlier opposition to the Centre's plan to set up a rail coach factory at Rae Bareli, the Congress chief wondered, "Do people of Rae Bareli and Amethi not have a right to get employment?"

Asking people not to be "misled" by the campaign of those political parties doing politics in the name of caste and religion, Sonia urged them to vote for the Congress. "It is a matter of regret that all ideals and principles are at risk in UP where a phase of petty interest, corruption and politics of opportunism has been launched in the name of caste and religion," she added.

"All the parties be it the BJP, SP or the BSP have joined hands for power time and again and have together ruined the state and with them around there can be no hope of development of the entire state including Rae Bareli," Sonia said.

Priyanka adopted an interactive style to reach out to people at the rally soliciting a promise to "change" the government in Uttar Pradesh.

Sonia alleged that Mayawati had delibrately ignored the areas considered to be Congress strongholds (Rae Bareli, Amethi).

"With this area there had been a discriminatory attitude and under a conspiracy hurdles have been created in implementing central projects and programmes," she said adding that there are several examples of the same and went on to mention projects relating to sewarage, potable water and roads which did not find favour with the state.

Referring to a drive for recruitment in army in Rae Bareli, she said that administration denied permission for it and asked whether, "thousands of youth from Rae Bareli and Amethi do not have the right or lack capability to get employment".

"For farmers we got the canals cleaned and repaired but the state did not give water in it," she said adding that to find a way out the Sharada Sahayak project was given the status of a national project.

Citing the Rajiv Gandhi rural electrification programe, she said that it could not prove to be beneficial as the state's power distribution system is very weak. Despite this attitude we worked for a bridge and Rail Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, she said.

Stressing on her long association with Rae Bareli, she said that she can proudly tell that this area has supported all through and her family has also wholeheartedly struggled for it.

"My coming here is nothing new but this is a special occasion as it is election time and people of different parties come here who have had nothing to do with the people here in five years," she said.

She said that it is the firm resolution of her party, which is to work for the benefit of all sections, despite all odds. "The Congress has a history of service to the people and development and it is a party of people," she said that her party since the beginning has been struggling for the interests of every individual and is working for betterment and development of UP once again and sought peoples support for the same.

She warned the electorate of all the five assembly seats in Rae Bareli not to fall prey in false promises and traps.