In a whistle stop election tour of West Bengal reminiscent of his father Rajiv Gandhi’s 1987 blitzkrieg of the red bastion, Rahul Gandhi today hauled up the Left Front government for misrule where development had taken a back seat.
Rahul Gandhi arrived in Purulia district in Bengal in a helicopter, under a stringent security blanket, given that the district is part of the red corridor of Naxalites. Intelligence agencies were said to be apprehensive of an attack on the chopper given that Maoists have rocket launchers. The route the chopper would take from Ranchi from where Rahul came was kept a secret till the last moment. Special Protection Group personnel formed a three tier security cordon for the Congress general secretary. Special daises were erected at the venues.
Never raising his voice, Rahul seemed to converse with the gathering from the dais. He said he knew that Purulia was a backward region where education was poor. The district was also infested with Maoists. “It is a pity that the Left Front government in Bengal has forgotten that the district is backward and needs to be given a leg up.” The UPA government keeps sending funds for development but the pity is that the money is not totally utilized. Funds meant for the Rojgar Yojna is meant to help the poor but not even 40 per cent of the sanctioned funds had been utilized for the district. When 100 days of work is guaranteed under such schemes, the Bengal panchayat administration “I find has at best provided for 20 days work”.
The young Congress general secretary in spotless white kurta and pajama reached contiguous district Bankura to campaign for Congress leader and former mayor Subrata Mukherjee. The chopper landed at the rally ground bristling with security personnel.
At the rally, Rahul said that the UPA government had kept the promises it made. “We have sanctioned funds for all sectors like education, development of regions, for tribals and peasants. Repeating what he had said in Purulia Rahul added that it was unfortunate that most of the funds sanctioned did not percolate to “to you people”. Giving a specific instance he said that Rs. 90 crore was sanctioned for Bankura district under the Rojgar Yojna but only Rs. 40 crore was spent, which meant that not even half the money “reaches you,” he said amidst cheers. To rub it in the young Congress leader said most of the hungry in the country belonged to Bihar and Bengal.
“What kind of communist government is this that does not care for the poor?” he asked the assembly. It is a shame that the Leftists have forgotten the poor. “Sarkar kaam nehi karti to isko badalia aap,” he said speaking of the Left Front.
There was a pressing need to bring about change in the country, he said and added that even today West Bengal is such a state that it can show the way to the rest of the country. The UPA government has worked for the poor and “there is a place for the poor in the hearts of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh”. Bring them back to power he urged and thanked the people for braving the searing mid-afternoon heat and attend the rally.
Garibi is the biggest ladai in the country, he said and added “ vote for those who are fighting poverty development and upliftment of the downtrodden”, before he whirred off in the chopper to Malda (South) constituency in North Bengal where he lunched on cold soup……………..
In Malda (South) campaigning for Abu Hasen Khan Chowdury after lunch, Rahul launched a broadside against the BJP led NDA. He said the UPA had taken the people of the country along with it where the opposition has only taken a few along with it. He said that the country had progressed in the last five years.
In both Malda and later in Jalpaiguri, the Congress general secretary lambasted the Left Front government on the same subject of non utilization of funds. Malda district had received Rs. 30 crores under the Indira Awas Yojna meant to build houses for the poor. Of the amount Rs. 12 crores were yet to be spent. The district had got Rs. 70 crores under the Rojgar Yojna but only four families got 100 fays of work. Pointing out that the funds had to reach the people he said “your government cannot do it. And this had to change”.
Urging voters to bring about a change in Bengal, Rahul appealed to the youth to come forward. “The Left Front government has been in power for 32 years and its thinking is 50 years behind time,” he said caustically.
Rahul said his understanding was that Communists felt and cared for the poor and the downtrodden. “What kind of Communists are these in Bengal. Is it a new kind of Communism?” he asked amidst applause.
Travelling in the helicopter over Bengal I was forced to tell myself that I thought Uttar Pradesh is in a bad state. But I know see Bengal is worst. Change Bengal usher in a new government was his parting short in North Bengal.
In all four districts Rahul kept his speech and concentrated in attacking the Left front on mostly the development issue. He hardly exhorted the Trinamool Congress to work for Congress candidates and vice versa. Perhaps AICC member in-charge of the Bengal Congress like K Keshava Rao and state Congress honchos travelling with him had forgotten to fill him in about the rancour that exists between the two allies an that there was dire need for unity at the grassroots level and up days before the state goes to polls in the first phase on April 30.
In Jalpaiguri he repeated much of what he had said earlier and elaborated on how the Left withdrawn support from the UPA government over the nuclear deal when the country direly needs electricity. “We dared then to withdraw support and said we will go through with the deal. We have done it.
