In his parliamentary constituency, Azamgarh, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh announced a slew of development projects, worth Rs.1,000 crore, including a sugar mill.
He promised to develop Azamgarh into a model district.
This is his first visit to Azamgarh after his victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Even as Mr. Singh expressed his gratitude to the voters for getting him elected and said he would not leave Azamgarh, he attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is an MP from Varanasi, situated at 60 km, for “failing to fulfil the promises made to the people.”
“Mr. Modi is the Prime Minister from Uttar Pradesh, which elected 73 MPs [of the BJP], he should explain how much black money had been brought back and how many jobs have been created,” he said.
Mr. Singh said the number of jobless people in the country was seven crore.
He said even after 67 years of independence the dreams of the people have remained unfulfilled.
The development projects for Azamgarh were to be announced by Mr. Singh’s son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, but he cancelled his visit at the last moment due to ill- health.
Addressing a meeting at the Sathiaon sugar mill ground on Friday, the SP chief tried to strike an emotional chord with the people when he said that he had an old association with Azamgarh. The first meeting after the formation of the Samajwadi Party in 1993 was held in Azamgarh.
He narrated how difficult it was for him to choose between Mainpuri and Azamgarh (he was elected from both the seats). Stating that the opponents of the Samajwadi Party were trying to weaken the party, Mr. Singh said the policies and programmes of his party should be known by all. The Samajwadi Party stood for equality and prosperity, he added.
Among the schemes announced are a new cooperative sugar mill in Sathiaon to be built at a cost of Rs. 400 crore. It will have a capacity of 3500 TCD (tones of cane crushed per day).
The foundation stones of a new bridge over the Ghagra and modern bus stations in Azamgarh and Mubarakpur were also laid. The Lohia Rural Bus Service and Janrath AC bus service was launched and laptops were distributed to 516 students.
