Congress General Secretary addresses 3 rallies in U’khand
By Our Staff Reporter
Ramnagar/Roorkee, 13 Apr: It was the first big day of campaigning for the Congress in Uttarakhand today when its National General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reached here and addressed three rallies in the state. She first arrived in Ramnagar in district Nainital and addressed a rally in support of the Congress candidates from Pauri (Garhwal) and Nainital, Ganesh Godiyal and Prakash Joshi respectively. She appealed to the people to vote for Congress candidates Ganesh Godiyal on Garhwal (Pauri) and for Prakash Joshi on Naintal-Udham Singh Nagar constituency.
Priyanka Gandhi was seen wearing Pichhoda, a Kumaoni attire. Describing her special relationship with Ramnagar, Priyanka reminded that she has spent many holidays here with her family. Whenever she got a chance, she used to come here with both the children by train from Old Delhi. She reminded that she has been to Corbett National Park several times in the past and claimed that she has tremendous faith in a small Baba Siddhbali Temple located in the forest and since the age of 13 years and has paid obeisance at the temple during her visits to Corbett National Park.
She said that the elections are the beauty of democracy and once in 5 years the people get a chance to change their future by exercising their franchise. She claimed that before coming here, she heard the speech given by PM Modi in Rishikesh and felt that Modi had nothing new to say or offer and that he repeated the same things in his speech, which he had spoken 5 years before. She reminded that PM Modi claims that he considers Uttarakhand and Himachal as Devbhoomi. That’s why he has a special place in his mind for these two states, but at the time of disaster, when Himachal needed him the most, he was nowhere to be seen. In disaster-stricken Himachal, every Congress leader was engaged in relief work. But not a single BJP leader was seen there. In fact, he did not give a single penny of relief to the people of the land which he called Devbhoomi, she claimed.
Priyanka Gandhi, while targeting BJP and especially PM Modi, said that it has become a habit of the Prime Minister that whenever he comes on the stage, he says words like Devbhoomi, Dharma. But the truth is that in Hindu religion, the biggest proof of faith is sacrifice, true faith comes only when one can sacrifice. Priyanka also claimed that her family has been called names by Modi and the BJP leaders but the truth is that her family has sacrificed a lot and seen martyrdom. At the age of 19 years, she saw the dismembered body of her father.
Speaking on the issue of One Rank One Pension and soldiers, Vadra said that big claims are made in this respect of welfare of the defence personnel but the ground realities are different. She added that useless schemes like Agniveer have been brought by BJP where the youth will be exploited for 4 years and then left unemployed. Things are said about soldiers in BJP’s speeches but it is he who brought Agniveer. The youth who were preparing in every state have witnessed their hopes and dreams dashing because of Agniveer.
Emphasising on “rising” unemployment and inflation in the country, Vadra said that the truth is that today the people of the country are struggling due to inflation and unemployment. The youth appear for the examination with hard work, but the question papers get leaked and the jobs are sold for Rs 20 lakh each. She claimed that such scams are happening because Congress has not been ruling for past 10 years. She said that BJP is claiming that it will win 400 plus seats but what has the BJP government done in past 10 years. They say that nothing has happened in the last 75 years, if nothing had happened then where did so much talent come from in Uttarakhand, where did the IIT-IIM-AIIMS come from across the state.
Speaking on the issue of unemployment, Priyanka said that the condition of Uttarakhand state is such that people are migrating from here due to lack of employment. She claimed that she had spoken to some people in Delhi who had come there after migrating from Uttarakhand and they told that there are no jobs in the hills. She said that people of the state work in restaurants even abroad because they don’t have jobs here.
Vadra claimed that the public has seen everything in 10 years. People want elections to be fought on issues and the real issues are inflation and employment. Jobs worth Rs 20 lakh each are being sold in paper leak and the youth are sitting unemployed, because there is no government scheme for them. Whatever schemes are brought are basically brought up in the interest of big industrialists. They are handing over the country’s wealth which previous governments created to the industrialists. Vadra that their only scheme is to give away all the property in the country to their friends so that they can remain in power, hence the public will have to explain what is happening to them today.
The Congress leader claimed that progress and development in the state is seen only on hoardings and on advertisements on TV channels but there is no development in the state on the ground. Vadra claimed that as soon as Congress comes to power, strict laws will be brought against scams like paper leaks and a job calendar will be brought in which appointment day, exam day and result day will be decided in advance. If anyone tampers with that calendar, strict action will be taken against him. 30 lakh posts lying vacant at the Centre will be filled as soon as the government is formed and people will be given employment. There will be a fund of Rs 5 thousand crore so that the youth can start their own startup.
Vadra claimed that the promises and the vision of Congress has not been reaching the people because information dissemination has been blocked by the government and on TV, only PM Modi is seen and praised. She also mentioned Ankita Bhandari case and also claimed that the women’s reservation in legislatures will not be implemented for another 5 years. She asked where was the PM when women wrestlers who had won Olympic medals were tortured on the road?
Raising the issue of farmers, she claimed that when the farmers were agitating on their issues, the government did not take any step to meet their demands.
She also claimed that the GST imposed by the Centre has caused biggest loss to small shopkeepers, those doing their own business and farmers. Because GST is imposed on everything that a farmer uses for farming. Inflation is skyrocketing for them. The farrmers’ income is decreasing. As soon as the Congress government comes to power, MSP will be made a law. Like Himachal, in Uttarakhand too, cultivation of barren valleys will be done in clusters so that things like mushroom, turmeric can be grown here too and can be exported. He said that Congress wants to bring health facilities to every village in the country.
She added that PM Modi says that only he is honest, everyone else is corrupt. He has put two Chief Ministers in jail, filed a case against the Chief Minister who does not belong to his party. Modi has taken away Rahul Gandhi’s house and has filed many cases against him so that he could keep running from here to there. He has used all agencies to put pressure on the opposition.
Vadra said that Congress’s guarantee is that it will give Rs 1 lakh annually to every poor woman. If the youth do not have employment, the government will give them money until they get employment. In the end, she appealed to the people to know all the truth and vote wisely.
