Rahul Gandhi focuses on UPA’s inclusiveness, Delhi’s development
Gandhi reiterates UPA's 'entitlement regime' that he says is an attempt to 'empower' the common man
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday showcased his party as the protector of common people that was wedded to the idea of inclusiveness, while pitching infrastructure developed in Congress-ruled Delhi as a testament to its record of good governance.
Gandhi, who has been targeted for a direct attack by main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, however, did not make any reference to Modi. Instead, he reiterated the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s “entitlement regime" that he said is an attempt to “empower" the common man.
“I am sure the Congress will win again," Gandhi told a crowd of around 50,000 people in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area. “No one can say there’s been no development in Delhi, not even the opposition can."
The Congress party, led by chief minister Sheila Dikshit, is seeking a fourth term in the 4 December state assembly election in Delhi.
In an attempt to encash on the Congress government’s recent move to regularize unauthorized colonies, Gandhi spoke at length about how the party took care to take the migrants along. “Those who come from outside, we hold their hands and march ahead along with them," he said, referring to migrants from other states, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
He also highlighted efforts by Rajasthan’s Congress government to provide free medicines to the poor.
“Go to any hospital and the government guarantees free treatment. Because if you look at the reasons behind poverty, the biggest reason is health. A worker spends most of his savings on health," the 42-year-old Gandhi scion said.
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram are also going to vote in assembly elections in November-December. The Congress, hit by a series of corruption scandals, is in a straight fight with the BJP in all but one state—Mizoram.
As in his earlier speeches in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan this month, Gandhi spoke about the UPA’s entitlement programmes, especially laws promoting food security and the right to information. But he made no mention of the controversy sparked by his remark on Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency being in touch with youths in communal violence-hit Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Modi had attacked Gandhi on his remarks and asked him to either name the Muslim youths or publicly apologize for his statement.
Instead, Gandhi stuck to metropolitan city issues, saying Delhi’s metro rail model is being adopted in other countries such as Indonesia and that the UPA government has given a “shining world-class" airport to Delhi.
Gandhi spoke about the party’s efforts to include weaker sections, women and youth in the governing process, saying: “I want more people from the back rows to become MLAs and MPs. That has been our effort."
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