Rahul Gandhi woo Dalits to enhance vote-bank in Bundelkhand

With a purpose of exploring and strengthening old vote bank, All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi commenced its two-day journey to draught prone region of Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh and blamed its chief minister Mayawati for the continuous drought resulted in suffering of people.

Rahul Gandhi working hard as a saviour of the party and the party men looking upon the Young Gandhi as a new ray of hope in his attempt in the state of wooing dalit voters back to the party who have since long shifted their allegiance to the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Bundelkhand is the famous region, where Mahrani Laxmi Bai had initiated her struggle against the imperialist Britishers and now the Congress MP from his family turf of Amethi-Rae Bareli, at a distance of 400 km from Jhansi, where Rahul Gandhi armed himself against the powerful Dalit Lady and sang a new tune of separate statehood, which (creation of the smaller states) the party has been opposing yet.

Even though he did not spell out clearly about the separate state, but indirectly he hinted that Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution for a second state reorganisation committee two years ago. When asked his personal vies about the separate smaller states he said, “I believe smaller states are more manageable.”

Congress has gone against its stand of opposing smaller states to push for separate statehood for Bundelkhand, the area where regional pride is crucial.

Addressing a rally there, the young MP said, ‘‘my father had said that only Rs 15 of the 100 sent by the Centre reaches the public. But here only Rs 5 reaches the public. I will request the UP Chief Minister to come here and see people's sufferings and how her government is performing.''

In fact he said the reality was far worse than what the late prime minister had apprehended. He further said that if he was not wrong not even 5 paise a rupee percolate down to the people.

"Had the UP government honestly implemented the Centrally-sponsored schemes, the situation would have been different," Rahul said.

The Congress strategy seems to be clear. The Central government perhaps wants to announce a hefty financial package for the drought hit Bundelkhand region and the AICC general secretary likely to claim credit. The financial package perhaps would help Congress to get dalit vote back, presently dominated by BSP supreme Mayawati.

He said the Congress was serious on the Bundelkhand drought issue and would very soon announce a hefty package on the lines of Vidharba package.

During his prime ministerial ship when his position was challenged by some of his own trustworthy party members, Rajiv Gandhi had fought back by introducing the panchayati raj system. He advised the grass-roots democratic institutions as the only reasonable answer to a sloppy delivery system, while highlighting the erosion of funds.

On the other hand his son Rahul has only one goal in his mind that to get a firm control over the political pulse of Uttar Pradesh by any means after his effective but not so successful campaign during the state assembly elections last year.

While the separate Telangana state issue is on the boil as TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao has given the Congress a 50-day ultimatum to form the separate state, failing which will force the party to quit office by all of its MPs, MLAs and MLCs; the Congress said Telangana and Bundelkhand are “stand-alone” issue.