Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday rejected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's charge that the Centre was adopting a step-motherly attitude towards the State and asserted that it was the responsibility of the State government to ensure proper utilisation of Central funds for development and welfare measures.
She referred to her constituency Rae Bareli and Amethi (represented by her son Rahul Gandhi), saying the State government's attitude towards these constituencies was well-known.
The UPA chairperson, who started a three-day visit to Rae Bareli, was addressing party workers in Saraini after inaugurating a sub-post office. She said that notwithstanding several thousands of crores given to the State in the form of Central funds, the situation on the ground remained unchanged with people facing problems such as non-availability of power and water and shortage of fertilizers and seeds.
Exhorting people, especially party workers, to keep a strict vigil on the implementation of Central schemes, she said it was their social and political responsibility to ensure that the fruits of development reached the grass roots level.
Ms. Gandhi referred to the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in nation-building, saying their work stood as a source of inspiration.
After inaugurating the sub-post office, Ms. Gandhi paid tributes to freedom fighters at the Shaheed Smarak before going to Dalmau, where she inaugurated the Wi-Max service of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. On her way to Dalmau, her cavalcade was stopped on Saraini-Dalmau road by the locals protesting against power cuts. Ms. Gandhi pacified them and asked the officials to look into the problem.
Spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Akhilesh Pratap Singh said Ms. Gandhi would inaugurate a road in Bela Tikai village, built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, on Tuesday and review the progress of development schemes by paying surprise visits to the villages in her constituency. She would visit some more villages on Wednesday before returning to New Delhi, he added.
