UPA is pro-poor, says Rahul

Claiming that the pro-poor programmes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) were revolutionary and labelling the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) “anti-poor,” All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged voters to give the UPA another term to further strengthen the programmes it had initiated.

Addressing four election rallies during a day of electioneering in Assam, he said India cannot shine until even one person in the country remained poor.

Against slogans


Mr. Gandhi said that during the previous Lok Sabha elections the NDA had claimed that India was shining: but the people told them, India was not. “The Congress never raises such slogans. The Congress believes India cannot shine till there was even one poor person in the country,” he said.

Accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhubaneswar Kalita, Mr. Gandhi addressed election rallies in Lakhimpur, Kaliabor, Mangaldai and Dhubri Lok Sabha constituencies.

Benefits for the poor


He claimed that it was only during Congress rule that the benefits of welfare and development schemes reached the poor. He claimed that wherever the Congress was in power their benefits reached the poor. But in States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, funds sanctioned by the Centre did not reach the common people, he alleged.

He said the non-UPA parties were not bothered about the poor. They think they can leave the poor behind to make India run fast. But during their time, the growth rate was just about 5 per cent. During UPA rule, it went up to 9 per cent.

He highlighted the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the loan waiver for farmers and the midday meals scheme as three major pro-poor programme of the UPA. There is no similar programme bigger than the NREGA anywhere in the world, he said. Referring to the benefits of the Rs. 70,000-crore loan waiver scheme for the farmers, Mr. Gandhi alleged that while in power the NDA had forgotten the farmers. The midday meal programme encouraged poor parents to send their children to school, he added.

Pot shot


The young Congress leader took a pot shot at the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, L.K. Advani, and accused him of “surrendering” before the terrorists during the Kandhahar hijacking episode.

“They call Dr. Manmohan Singh a weak Prime Minister. But during NDA rule the Home Minister was not even aware that the External Affairs Minister was releasing terrorists for the release of hostages. What kind of Home Minister he was when he did not even know what his Cabinet Minister was doing?” asked Mr. Gandhi.