Sonia, Priyanka descend on Rae Bareli, slam Mayawati

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Tuesday made a joint appearance for the first time in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign and accused the Mayawati government of large scale corruption in implementation of central schemes.

Sonia Gandhi, who is the MP from here, attacked the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the “sorry state of affairs” in the state.

In a hard hitting attack on the eve of the third phase of state polls, she said funds of Rs.1 lakh crore (Rs.1 trillion) under central schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had been given to the state but the results were nowhere to be seen.

“After all, where is that money? Where was it spent? It’s clear that scams and corruption have taken place,” she said.

The joint rally gave a glimpse into bonding shared by the mother and daughter as the two frequently conversed. At one point, Priyanka jovially pinched the cheek of Sonia, triggering a spree of clicks from the lensmen present.

Sonia and Priyanka are big crowd pullers for the Congress and their presence together signified the importance being attached by the party to the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and the verdict in Rae Bareli.

In her speech, Sonia Gandhi also attacked Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which ruled the state, apart from the BSP, over the past 22 years.

“Today, I feel pained seeing the condition of Uttar Pradesh. Those who ruled it for the past 22 years, what condition they landed the state in. Uttar Pradesh was not like this earlier. When the Congress ruled, it wasn’t like this,” she said.

She said people of Rae Bareli had always stood by her family and she had whole-heartedly struggled for their welfare.

Pointing to other parties contesting from Rae Bareli, she said their leaders were coming to seek votes after not caring for the people in the last five years.

The Congress president also accused the BSP government of creating obstacles in implementation of central schemes and said the central government never differentiated among states when it came to providing funds for development.

She said farmers were facing problems, youths were unemployed due to closure of factories, children did not have adequate facilities for education, women were facing atrocities and the common man did not have proper medical care.

Pointing to the BSP government’s earlier opposition to the central government’s plan to set up a rail coach factory at Rae Bareli, Sonia Gandhi wondered if people of Rae Bareli and Amethi had a right to get employment.

“There is deliberate discrimination,” she said.

“Congress … is struggling to bring back Uttar Pradesh on the road to development,” she added.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, speaking from the same platform, called for a Congress victory for a corruption-free Uttar Pradesh.

Describing herself as daughter of both Sonia and the people of Rae Bareli, Priyanka said that a resolve for a new politics, new future and new development will be sounded out in the state from her mother’s constituency.

She hoped people “will show the way to get out of darkness” by electing the Congress on all the assembly seats in Rae Bareli.

“Uthenge, jagenge, badlenge (We will wake up, rise and bring change),” Priyanka said.

The state will go for third phase of polling across 56 constituencies Wednesday.

Neighbouring Amethi Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Sonia’s son Rahul Gandhi.