Rahul appeals to UP youth

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As he entered the Samajwadi Party bastion on Tuesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi faced resistance from the Samajwadi Party workers.
Samajwadi activists on Tuesday attempted to block Mr Gandhi’s convoy as he made his way to Badaun district from where he began his five day tour in western UP.

Around 50 to 60 Samajwadis stopped Mr Gandhi’s convoy outside the Dhanipur airport from where he was to proceed to Badaun. The police however swung into action and cleared the way for the Congress leader’s convoy. About 15 Samajwadis have been detained for breaching the security of Mr Gandhi who is an SPG protectee.
Meanwhile, Mr Gandhi once again appealed to the youth to vote for development in the upcoming UP Assembly elections and change their own destiny.
Speaking at a rally in Badaun on Tuesday, he said that the people had voted for the SP, BJP and BSP governments in Uttar Pradesh in the past 20 years and all they had got was corruption and poor governance.
“If you vote for development this time, I can give a guarantee in writing that changes will be visible within the next five years and the face of UP will undergo a complete change over the next 10 years. You will find employment here and will not have to go to other states in search of work,” he said.
Mr Gandhi reminded the people how the late Indira Gandhi had protected farmers by nationalising banks and preventing their exploitation at the hands of money lenders. He said that the UPA government had waived off farmers’ loans in order to give respite to them.
Mr Gandhi once again mounted an attack on the Mayawati government when he pointed out the misuse of central funds and the NRHM scam.
“There is no dearth of money in the country and the Centre sends thousands of crores of rupees for development in UP but no one seems to be getting the benefits because the money is lost in corruption. This is your state and you must retrieve it from corrupt hands and put it on the path of development,” he said.
The Congress MP lashed out at Opposition parties that ridiculed his frequent visits into the rural areas. “They (Opposition) laugh at me but I go to village to get first-hand information about the reality that exists in real India. I know the kind of food you eat, the kind of water you drink and this enables me to see the facts as they are. I know that the country’s future lies in the villages and unless we improve things there, the country cannot progress in the real sense of the term,” he said.