Amethi (Uttar Pradesh), May 10: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi today carried out extensive campaigning in Amethi parliamentary constituency in support of the party candidate Kishori Lal Sharma. She said he has been like a member of their family and has stood by them for last 40 years.
Ms Gandhi recalled her family’s deep and generational ties with Amethi. She recalled how her father late Rajiv Gandhi represented Amethi. She said, a lot of development took place during his time.
She said, the family’s bonding still continues. After Rajiv Gandhi, it was first represented by her mother Ms Sonia Gandhi and later by her brother Rahul Gandhi.
She said her family always did the politics of service and dedication towards the people and the constituency. However, she added, for some time there is a different type of politics where real issues are pushed into the background. She pointed out how people were made to take oath that they will vote in the name of religion. “Their purpose was not to serve you, but to defeat my brother”, she remarked.
The Congress general secretary urged people to think whether anything had changed for them and had they really made any progress.
She said, under Modi’s regime only a few billionaires made huge progress for whom Modi waived off Rs 16 lakh crores of loans.
Ms Gandhi pointed out, while everything had become expensive, the BJP leaders never talk about rising prices as they only talk about religion and make people vote in the name of religion even forcing oaths on them. She cautioned people that these leaders were only misleading them and taking their votes in the name of religion but doing any development work.
Questioning the performance of the local MP Smriti Irani, Ms Gandhi asked what she (the local MP) did for them. She recalled when her father was an MP, he would visit people and tell them that he had done such and such things and will be doing such things in future. She said the Congress leaders always talked about real issues only.
Listing the guarantees of her party, she said, one woman in every poor family will receive Rs 8500 per month, which comes to Rs one lakh every year. Besides, she added, fifty percent of jobs in government departments will be reserved for women.
She said, for the young and small entrepreneurs a special corpus fund of Rs 5000 crore would be set up to facilitate their business.
Making a fervent appeal to people to vote and support the party candidate Kishori Lal Sharma from here, she said, he has been like their family member for the last 40 years and has always stood by them.