Sonia visits Raebareli, announces host of development projects

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on her first visit to her constituency, Raebareli, after her party was virtually routed out of this Nehru-Gandhi bastion in the recent Assembly elections, on Thursday announced a host of development projects for the area.

The Congress president also reiterated her commitment to develop the constituency as she sought to drive home the message that the UPA government had taken a series of measures to ensure welfare of every section of the society.

Gandhi, who arrived in Raebareli on Thursday on a two-day visit, laid emphasis on “education”, saying that the people would be able to get the benefits of the measures and programmes only if they were educated. “The UPA government has initiated programmes keeping in the mind the needs of every section of the society....development is a continuous process and I shall continue to strive for the development of Raebareli,” Gandhi said at a function after laying the foundation stone of a series of road widening and road construction projects in her Lok Sabha constituency. “I have come here after a long time.....I could not come owing to some personal reasons...I am feeling happy to be here,” she said in an apparent bid to strike an emotional chord with the people.
She listed the various developmental projects started by the UPA government and said that it had given its approval to construction of model schools in every block in the country.

She also announced that the union HRD ministry had given its nod to setting up a Women's degree college in Raebareli after the former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The work on the project would begin as soon as the state government provided the land, she added. The UPA chairperson urged the Union minister for highways C P Joshi to make sure that the projects were completed in a time bound manner and of good quality. The projects, included construction of a ring road around Raebareli, widening the Lucknow-Allahabad road, besides other developmental measures.

Gandhi, during her visit, will meet party workers and leaders from the constituency on Friday and will attend a Roza-Iftar party. She is likely to take part in the meeting of the district monitoring committee on Friday.

Team Anna members lathi charged

Attempts of Team Anna members to block the cavalcade of  UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi near Raebareli were foiled on Thursday when police lathi charged the protesters in order to disperse them, reports DHNS from Lucknow.

The crusaders squatted before the cavalcade in their bid to stop it, but the police dispersed them by using force.

 The members were sitting on a dharna near the venue, where she laid the foundation stone of various developmental projects. The Congress workers, who were present there, had a scuffle with the Team Anna members, according to police sources.