Rahul Gandhi makes his presence felt in Mayawati’s bastion on ‘Ambedkar Jayanti’

AMBEDKAR NAGAR - Even as Bahujan Samaj Party and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati seems to be trying her best to downplay Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s style of campaigning in the State, the latter made his presence felt in BSP’s bastion on ‘Ambedkar Jayanti’ on Wednesday.

Rahul Gandhi launched his organisation’s awareness campaign from rival Bahujan Samaj Party’s bastion-Ambedkarnagar here on Wednesday.

Gandhi flagged off 10 vehicles as part of an awareness drive to cover all 403-assembly constituencies of the State.

Mayawati’s BSP and Congress party have been at loggerheads ever since Gandhi declared his plans to launch his party’s 125th anniversary campaign in Ambedkarnagar, on the 119th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of Indian Constitution.

Gandhi reportedly was denied permission by the state government to garland a statue of Ambedkar in Ambedkarnagar town.

Addressing party workers in Ambedkarnagar, Gandhi said his party-led Central government was pro-common man and doing everything possible for the poor and backwards.

“Rahul Gandhi visits houses of poor because he believes that India’s strength lies in the houses of poor and backwards. Future of the country is in the hands of poor in the villages. We do whatever we can from Delhi for poor, Dalit and common man,” he said.

Blaming that funds sent by the Central government do not reach poor in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) was not being implemented properly in the state.

“We send billions of rupees to Uttar Pradesh, we have launched big projects like world’s biggest MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), which guarantees 100 days employment to every individual. The biggest beneficiaries of this project are Dalit and poor brothers and sisters. But if you visit Uttar Pradesh and ask about the project, there’s no name of it,” he said. (ANI)