Focus on politics as Rahul reviews projects in Rae Bareli
Politics took centre stage as senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited Rae Bareli, his Lok Sabha constituency, on Tuesday to review development schemes and inaugurate projects.
During a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting, discussions extended beyond development issues, with political undertones evident throughout.
Public representatives, including BJP’s, advocated a resolution to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for increased allocations to the Jal Jeevan Mission’s piped water scheme.
“Yes, we demanded that a resolution be passed to thank the PM for increasing allocations under the scheme nearly four times. We have piped water supply in 273 places,” said Manoj Kumar Pandey, a Samajwadi Party MLA who has switched his loyalties to the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi directed district officials to verify these claims and addressed issues like road maintenance and medication availability at AIIMS Rae Bareli.
While Rahul Gandhi did not speak to the media and senior officials were not available for comments, those aware of the development, however, said the discussions at the DISHA also focused on implementation of piped water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Another issue raised at the meeting was about the maintenance of the roads constructed by the district panchayat.
It was noted that the district panchayat should show interest in the maintenance of roads as well. There were some complaints about the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rae Bareli, with some of the public representatives pointing out that the AIIMS doctors were prescribing the medicines that were not available in the store of the institute.
“Rahul Gandhi said he has a letter addressed to the Union health minister ready and would send the same soon,” said a public representative. Some others called this a scam.
Rahul Gandhi also asked the district officials to verify facts about the number of consumers of Ujjwala scheme getting LPG cylinders refilled.
A district officer claimed that 90 percent of the cylinders were being refilled. Rahul Gandhi said the district officers should verify the claims with the respective agencies and submit a report about the same.
He also asked the district officials to provide him details about the working of the self help groups, the work done by them and the funds being provided by the state government.
Besides Rahul, Congress MP from Amethi KL Sharma, Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was earlier in the Congress, was also present at the meeting.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi, who reached Chaudhary Charan Singh airport at about 10am here on Tuesday, was welcomed by senior party leaders, including party MP Pramod Tiwari and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’.
On way to Rae Bareli, he stopped at a Hanuman temple and performed puja there. In Rae Braeli, he dedicated to the public a reworked crossing and some newly constructed roads.
Uttar Pradesh minister of state (independent charge) for horticulture and agriculture marketing Dinesh Pratap Singh on Tuesday targeted Rahul Gandhi for not spending sufficient time in his constituency after being elected MP from Rae Bareli in 2024 polls.
Although Singh sat next to Rahul Gandhi at the DISHA meeting, he showed to the media a poster carrying a picture of Rahul Gandhi asking the MP to spend a night in his constituency.
The poster carried “Rae Bareli ke logon ke liye, ek raat to gujariye Rae Bareli mein (For the people of Rae Bareli spend a night in Rae Bareli) on the top with main headline saying ‘Rae Bareli ke Rahul Ji’.
The bottom of the poster read “chhah mah main panch ghante to paanch saal main 30 ghante, matlab 5 saal main kul do din (five hours in six months, 30 hours in five years meaning two days in five years).
Singh later said Rahul Gandhi should stay in his constituency. He said Rahul Gandhi, who represented Rae Bareli now, and his mother Sonia Gandhi, who represented the constituency earlier, have not adopted any village under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
Singh also gave some statistical data to make his point that more funds have been allocated for the development of Rae Bareli under the Modi government than were provided during the UPA regime.
The Congress MP asked those present at the meeting to dial a helpline number to make his point that such numbers were not functioning in the state.
Rahul Gandhi asked Amethi MP KL Sharma to dial the helpline number. He then asked the district officials to do so and when they failed to connect there was a peel of laughter.
