April 15, 2007
Rahul is Uttar Pradesh's Future: Manmohan
Afzalgarh/Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh)
Commending Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi to the people of Uttar
Pradesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his first round of
campaigning Sunday described him as the state's future leader.
"Rahul Gandhi is your future. He is sweating it out for you. He
needs only one chance to make this state a new Uttar Pradesh," the
prime minister said at an election rally here.
It was Manmohan Singh's first public meet in the state during the
seven-phase assembly elections from April 7 to May 8.
"Let us create a new Uttar Pradesh like (Rahul's father and late
prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi had dreamt of making a new India 20
years ago," the prime minister added.
The prime minister's remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi stirred a
storm by speaking about his family's contribution to India's
independence and the creation of Bangladesh.
"Once my family decides on something, it doesn't go back. Whether
it's about India's freedom, dividing Pakistan or taking India to the
21st century," Gandhi maintained Saturday. The BJP and the Pakistan
government have criticised the statement.
Criticising the non-Congress governments that have ruled the
country's most populous state for the last 15 years, Manmohan Singh
charged them with shedding the people's blood "in the name of
building temples and mosques".
"Youths did not get jobs, and there was no peace or prosperity
during these 15 years," he maintained.
Manmohan Singh contested the ruling Samajwadi Party's decision to
give an unemployment dole to jobless youths, saying this was not the
way to approach the issue.
"Youths don't need an unemployment allowance. They need jobs," he
said.
After the Afzalgarh rally in the Muslim dominated Bijnore district,
Manmohan Singh addressed an impressive rally in Puranpur in Pilibhit,
where V.M. Singh was rated as among the Congress party's few
potential winners.
The prime minister told a gathering of over 25,000 that the state
had suffered largely over the long spell of the non-Congress
governments.
"Uttar Pradesh was always rated as among the best states in the
country, but over the years even states like Haryana which were far
behind have marched miles ahead.
"The Congress alone could restore the lost glory of this state."
Giving details of the funds released by his United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government for various development schemes in the
state, he lamented: "We do not see appropriate use of that money
either in education or in other sectors."
Manmohan Singh credited Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia
Gandhi for the centrally funded schemes for the state's development.
He said: "The desired benefits of these centrally funded schemes
were not accruing to the intended beneficiaries as the money was not
being spent properly.
Blaming Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party,
he added: "It appears that the state government was not interested
in ensuring implementation of these schemes because they would not
want people to know that their economic prosperity was actually
attributable to Sonia Gandhi who was the actual driving force behind
the various development schemes.
"I am convinced that if all the money that we are giving to Uttar
Pradesh was utilised properly, the state would look far different."
The prime minister also made it a point to address issues relating
to the fairly high Muslim population in the constituency.
Commenting on the setting up of the Justice Sachar Committee that
has prepared a report on the socio-economic conditions of the
minority community, he said: "The exercise showed that Muslims
figure low both on the literacy as well as employment front."
Sonia Gandhi along with her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka also
campaigned in the state Sunday.
The third round of polling in the state will take place Wednesday.
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