Lucknow/Amethi: Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that Indians used to feel ashamed of their birth earlier and asserted that "I am a proud Indian".
"I am a proud Indian and all of us are proud Indians," the Congress Vice President remarked when asked whether Modi had once again insulted the nation by claiming on foreign soil that Indians used to feel unfortunate earlier and now they feel proud since his government came to power last year. "... What people have felt is known to all and a lot of discussion has been held on it...I don't want to elaborate," he said while talking to newspersons at the Lucknow airport before leaving for Delhi after winding up his three-day-long visit to Amethi.
Repeating his allegation of "suit-boot ki sarkar", Rahul asserted that the present government is not that of poor and farmers. "I want to repeat what I said in Parliament...this government is not for the poor, farmers and weaker people but of selected industrialists, a handful of those who are near the Prime Minister and all their works are being done," he said. "Farmers are cyring, they are not getting compensation for (losses due to) hailstorm, not getting right price for their produce, got lathis when they asked for fertilizers," he said.
"It is unfortunte that this (NDA) government is of selected industrialsists...it is suit-boot ki sarkar," Rahul said. On the meeting of district vigilance and monitoring committees of his constituency, he said all party representatives have raised the issue of "wrong behaviour" with Amethi. "Funds have been slashed in all the schemes, be it MNREGA, PMGSY or Indira Awaas...scrapping of food park has harmed our farmers... wrongs are being done with Amethi...if they want to take revenge with me, they can do it, but there should not be any injustice with (people of) Amethi," he said.
Earlier, Rahul said in Amethi on the third and final day of his visit that "people's representatives have complained that Centre is not cooperating in Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), Indira Awaas Yojana and other schemes being run here. "Amethi is being ignored. Be it food park or other developmental schemes in the district. Centre is not cooperating and creating hurdles. I have said this earlier and reiterating it today also. The same happened to food park," he said.
Briefing newspersons about the meeting which was chaired by Rahul, district magistrate Jagatraj Tewari said the Congress Vice President has ordered probe into all the works done under PMGSY in past five years.
The issue of cut in budgetary allocations to the central schemes was also discussed besides a decision being taken to ask the UP government to take action against an engineer of Irrigation department.
Samajwadi party MLA Rakesh Singh, who represents Gauriganj assembly segment of the Lok Sabha constituency and was present in the meeting, said a decision has been taken to write a joint letter to the Centre to stop ignoring Amethi. "There is no doubt that Amethi is being ignored...food park is an issue related to develoment of Amethi and everyone will fight for it," Singh added.
