By IANS,
Amethi (Uttar Pradesh): Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Saturday accused the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh of “pushing back” development in the party strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli and said he would concentrate his efforts to bring the Congress back to power in the state.
Addressing a poll rally in his constituency of Amethi, Rahul Gandhi also said that he shared a family-like bond with the people here and not a political one. Rae Bareli is represented in parliament by his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Recalling the time when his father Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, Rahul said: “When my father was an MP from here, he used to work with both hands (referring to the Congress being in power both at the centre and in the state), but today I am working with only one hand.
“The Uttar Pradesh government is trying to push back Amethi and Rae Bareli and my efforts in the next three years (the time left for the current Bahujan Samaj Party government) will be to free my other hand too so that I can work with both hands.”
Rahul Gandhi also shared his experiences when he used to visit Amethi with his father.
“I remember when I was a 12-year-old kid and visited a village with my father (Rajiv Gandhi) in Amethi. We went to a village that was completely charred by fire. I wandered inside a completely burned house and found an old lady sitting amidst her damaged belongings. I was surprised when she got up, hugged me and gave me a sweet,” Rahul Gandhi narrated.
“That was the day when I decided to dedicate myself for the development of this region,” he said in an election speech in Tilohi block.
Addressing another rally in Jagdishpur block, Rahul Gandhi said he shares a personal relationship with the region.
“I am carrying forward the tradition of the Nehru and Gandhi family and I have a family relation with you people rather than political. I am not asking for your vote but all I want is your love and support,” he said.
Earlier, in Barabanki, Rahul Gandhi promised to transform the district into another Amethi and Rae Bareli.
“If you support the Congress, I assure you that I will convert Barabanki into another Amethi and Rae Bareli by undertaking various developmental schemes in this district,” he said.