Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has accused the Congress of obstructing the development projects in the state.
In reply to Sonia Gandhi?s allegations that the UP government had tried to block her rally in Rai Bareli and had taken back the allotted land for a rail coach factory because it was not interested in the state?s development, she said ?The Congress has been opposing our development schemes such as the Ganga Expressway from Noida to Ballia and the Yamuna Expressway. The UPA government has also not even given any financial assistance to us despite repeated reminders,? adding that the Congress? plan to set up a rail coach factory in Rae Bareli just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections was a ploy to gain political mileage.
?It is a political conspiracy of the Congress to have a rail coach factory in Rae Bareli. The Congress is making false promises of giving jobs as elections are near,? she said, adding, ?Congress considers Rae Bareli as the state of Uttar Pradesh. Why doesn?t it set up a rail coach factory in Bundelkhand or any other under-developed area?? she asked.
Launching a counter offensive, she also announced she would hold a ?maharally? in Rae Bareli to apprise the people about the ?impediments created by the Centre? in developmental schemes mooted by it.
?Congress is worried only about Rae Bareli but I am worried about the whole state,? Mayawati told reporters.
Taking a pot-shot at the Congress chief for terming Rae Bareli and Amethi as ?karmbhoomi of Firoze, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi and now that of her and Rahul?, Mayawati asked as to how many jobs ?have been given to people of Rae Bareli in the past 44 years of Congress rule in Uttar Pradesh and 48 years of rule at the Centre?.
Quoting statistics, Mayawati said, ?Rae Bareli has 20 factories, of which 9 are running and 11 have closed down and due to this, 92 acre of land has been wasted. Similarly, in Amethi, 16 factories were put up, of which 9 are running and 7 have closed down and 862 acre of land has gone waste. How many people have got jobs from these units??, she asked.
?Just like Saifai was entire state for the Samajwadi party, Rae bareli and Amethi are the entire state for the Congress. There are already a number of factories in the district, Congress should think beyond Rae Bareli and avoid regional imbalance,? Mayawati said.
About the alleged protests by farmers on the acquisition of their land for the factory, Mayawati said that she had constituted a committee under principal secretary Netram to inquire into objections of the farmers, which will submit its report to the government within three days. ?The Cabinet will decide on the issue later?, she said.
Mayawati alleged that Uttar Pradesh was being given step-motherly treatment and Centre was making baseless allegations against the BSP government by terming it ?anti-development?. ?This project in Rae Bareli and a similar project at Bihar were launched simultaneously by Lalu Prasad Yadav. While, work has started in Bihar, nothing except false propaganda was initiated by the Congress here?, she said.
Advising Congress to set up 50 factories in the backward Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) and Bundelkhand regions, Mayawati said that if the Centre was ready, the state would provide land in these areas on priority basis.