Rahul Gandhi seeks to deny credit for Amethi institute to Modi govt

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi today virtually sought to deny the Modi government credit for setting up of the permanent campus of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology in Amethi which is being inaugurated tomorrow, saying a law for it was enacted when the UPA was in power.

Three Union Ministers, including Smriti Irani, who took on the Congress Vice President in Amethi in last Lok Sabha polls, will be present at the function.

In a letter to Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Congress Vice President also suggested that he could have attended the inaugural function had he been invited well in advance. Pradhan had written to Gandhi on October 17 inviting him for the event.

Gandhi told Pradhan that a number of development works have been pending in Amethi and sought his help in expediting the completion of such projects in his constituency.

"I would have certainly liked to have attended the inaugural function had it been planned and scheduled on a mutually convenient date. I do look forward to visiting the new campus once classes commence," he said in his letter.

Gandhi also said that he is happy that "this historical effort of ours is moving forward".

He reminded Pradhan that it was the UPA government which had enacted the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology Act, 2007, to make the RGIPT an institute of national importance in the field of petroleum technology and allied energy sectors with significant budgetary support. He said he has been personally visiting the permanent campus as it was coming up at Jais in Amethi since 2008.

"I would, however, like to bring to your notice that a number of other major development initiatives in Amethi which had either been legislated or had received Cabinet approval have not progressed during the current NDA government.

"I do hope that as a member of the Council of Ministers, you will urge your Cabinet colleagues to expedite the completion of these important projects as well," he wrote.

Gandhi listed out the Jagdishpur Paper Mill, Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University, National Automative Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP), Institute of Driving, Training and Research and Kendriya Vidyalaya, as some projects that were pending.

Besides Irani and Pradhan, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar will also be present at tomorrow's function.