By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kick started the election campaign of his party by addressing a rally at railway ground in Trivenipuram in Jhunsi, Phoolpur in Allahabad on Monday.
The rally had many specialities–Phoolpur is the constituency which has sent his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru as first MP when country attained independence. Secondly, Rahul was more vocal in attacking Congress and thirdly Samajwadi Party (SP) workers created a stir by showing black flags as Rahul’s chopper landed. “Nehruji ko yaad karengey, Rahulji key sath chalengey’ was the lead slogan at the Congress meeting.
Rahul Gandhi addressing a gathering
However, it was all Rahul’s show who is on a mission to revive the fortunes of his party which is out of power for past two decades in the largest state of the country. In an interactive 35 minute speech, Rahul lashed out at Chief Minister Mayawati for unleashing a mafia raj which is marred by corruption, harassment and crime. “Why don’t you youths rise up to the occasion and change the fortune of the state. You don’t get jobs here and have to rush to other states. It is ridiculous,” he said.
Rahul also claimed that India made progress but UP went backwards and lost its glorious days of development. “Centre’s schemes are misused, the funds are siphoned away and pocketed by BSP leaders. The CM Mayawati does not have time to visit Bundelkhand region. The thousands of crores sent for development and health projects have been drained by the BSP government,” he said.
Firing a fresh salvo, Rahul remarked: “The lands of farmers are being snatched. They are branded as maoist and silenced by gun power. What happened in Bhatta Parsaul is now known to everybody,” he said. Rahul also stated that upcoming Food Security Bill by the central government may also meet the same fate and real beneficiary will be BSP leaders due to corruption.
On the Jan Lokpal Bill, Rahul remarked that the government is committed to bring a strong Lokpal Bill to put a curb on the corruption and to provide relief to the general masses.
Prior to the meeting, a group of SP workers staged protest by showing black flag when Rahul’s chopper landed. They were prevented from proceeding further and chased away by police while some of them have been arrested. Union minister Jitin Prasad and Congress MLA Pramod Tiwari personally ran after them and thrashed them in public view.
The act has been condemned by Samajwadi Party (SP) scion Akhilesh Yadav. “I do not approve the act of my workers but they protested as they are fed up of UPA government’s policies. But a union minister and senior Congress leader beating them personally cannot be justified,”
said Akhilesh.
BSP too has taken strong note of Rahul’s bickering. In the official press note released by BSP, the party has termed Rahul’s outburst as baseless and a political drama. “The people of UP have their honour and not beggars to go to other states. Rahul’s outburst is his fig of imagination,” said the press release.