Rahul attacks Mayawati for 'misusing' Central funds

AMBEDKAR NAGAR (UP): Attacking the Mayawati-led government for "misuse" of Central funds, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday pitched for a change in politics in Uttar Pradesh by involving youth and focusing on job creation and poverty alleviation.

Flagging off the 'Chetna' (awareness) Yatra here to mark 125 years of party's establishment, Gandhi said Congress will change the face of Uttar Pradesh by creating jobs for the youth of the state, where the BSP government has been "neglecting" development issues forcing people to migrate to cities like Mumbai.

"The Central government has provided various tools of development in the form of MGNREGA, and schemes for eduction and health. However, the UP government claims that schemes like MGNREGA are of no use. There is no need for education and health," he said addressing a rally here.

He wondered why people from the state were migrating to cities like Mumbai when the BSP says it has a pro-poor government. "The BSP government was turning its back on pro-poor schemes and still claims to be a pro-poor government. How can this be possible?" Gandhi, who was allegedly denied permission to garland Ambedkar's statue here, asked.

"Money for development projects reaches Lucknow but Ambedkar Nagar and other districts of the state (are not developed)... Money has been given to the UP government for schemes like MGNREGA, RTE and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, but no one knows what happens to this money," he said.

Gandhi alleged that he had got a Central package worth crores of rupees for Bundelkhand but nobody in the region has seen its benefits. Gandhi also attacked Mayawati for criticising his visits to Dalit homes, saying it does not go down well with her as she feels threatened by it.

The Congress General Secretary said that the politics of religion and caste have failed in UP and there was a need to usher in a new way of politics targeted at the youth. "In the times to come, UP has to answer how to tackle unemployment and poverty in the state. Politics in the state will now revolve around this question," he said.