PM blasts Maya for ills plaguing UP

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday rued lack of development in Uttar Pradesh and blamed the Mayawati regime for the ills of the state even as he showered praises on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his efforts to change the region.

Addressing an election rally in Kanpur, Singh said the state government had not implemented the Central aides and schemes properly as a result of which UP still lagged behind.

He referred to the special package for the impoverished Bundelkhand region and said this package could have brought about a change in the region, but there are reports of irregularities in its implementation.

The prime minister said Rahul Gandhi had played an important role in getting the package sanctioned for UP.

Singh also lauded Rahul for his frequent visits to the villages in UP and said his understanding about the problems of the state would help in its development. He said the state would develop speedily under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul.

The prime minister also referred to the multi-crore NRHM scam and alleged irregularities in the implementation of MNREGS.  “It is unfortunate that such an important health scheme has been misused in the state,” he said. Singh specifically cited examples to buttress his contention that the UPA government had provided huge funds to the state government under different schemes. He said Rs 9,500 crore was provided to the state under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana. The prime minister said the Centre had waived loans of the farmers and also increased the support price of wheat, sugar cane and paddy. “The Congress is a party of the common man,” he said.

Referring to the closed mills in Kanpur, Singh said the town was once known as “Manchester of India” but now several mills had been closed. The same situation prevails else where also, he added.

Campaign ends

Campaigning for the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections ended on Friday with star campaigners of all major stake holders holding a series of  rallies to woo the electorate.

Polling will be held for 56 assembly seats spread across 11 districts, including Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi ,on Sunday next.
The districts where polling will be held in the fourth phase are Lucknow, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hardoi, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur, Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar and Kannauj.

The fourth phase would feature several big names in the state’s political circle including Reeta Bahuguna Joshi,   Pramod Tewari and Louis Khursheed.