Rahul Gandhi urges youth for overall change to develop Bihar

PATNA, February 02, 2010.
India belongs to all Indians and all parts of India are for all Indians, reiterated Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and criticized narrow politics of vested interest groups in Mumbai. He was addressing media persons at Patna on February 2, while on a two-day visit to Bihar.
That he would not keep mum on the issue of migrants from Bihar and UP and unwelcome stand by some political groups, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi that he was not interested what Bal Thackeray of Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray were saying.
"Indian people are free to go anywhere in the country. Maharashtra government will deal strictly with the all those who stop people coming from UP, Bihar and other parts, coming to Mumbai," categorically stressed Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.
On question of rising prices, he said main reason was inflationary trends in international markets and hoardings by some people here. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said he had deliberations with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on this issue.
"Prime Minister assured me that all efforts are being made to bring the situation under control," he informed, adding that the problems in procurement and distribution coupled with hoardings, have led to present situation.
Talking about need of democratization of political organization, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said that through elections, leaders in Youth Congress (YC) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI), would be elected and not imposed from above.
The process has helped the party to get connected with the people at large, in the country, he said, adding that the exercise has been a success in Punjab, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and now, it is being implemented in Bihar.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said that the organizational change in the frontal out-fits of the party would help develop Bihar in near future."There were only 35,000 party workers in Tamil Nadu but after organizational elections and membership drives, now same has gone up to 14.5 lakh," he informed.
In some places including Bihar, the party has gone little away from the mass but now people are fast getting associated and the impact would be seen soon in Bihar, said Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.
There is a need of change in Bihar and though intention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is right but nothing much has been done at ground level, he said. "During NDA regime, Rs 50,000 crore was allocated to Bihar but the present regime in Delhi has given Rs 96,000 crore to the state," he informed.
"The issue is not about monetary allocation by the Centre but about utility of the same," said Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. When you go to a village in Bihar, you will find that schemes under NREGA are not being implemented, schools and hospitals do not function, he remarked, adding that there was no dearth of money but the real problem was how to utilize it.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi cited progress of various projects in AP, Delhi, Assam and Rajasthan and said that in all Congress-ruled states government plans were being implemented to benefit the poor but it was not so in the case of Bihar.
"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and even people at large, are aware that money does not reach the needy ones and benefits of NREGA do not reach the beneficiaries and on top of that, 20 per cent of money get siphoned off by middlemen," commented Congress General Secretary in his address to media persons in the state capital.
To a query about Kosi flood being termed as national disaster, he said that the Centre allocated Rs 1,000 crore, but the state government failed to deliver it to the affected ones. "I myself toured flood affected regions and found relief work much below the needed level," said Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Later in the afternoon while addressing the youth from backward community at Dehri-on-Sone (Rohtas), Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said that there has been bad governance in the state for past 20 years and now the time has come to change it, which only the youth can do. He even cited Delhi Metro project and said about valuable contributions in implementing it made by Biharis.
At Bhagalpur , Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi met the local youth, keen to take part in organizational elections of the frontal out-fits of the party.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi urged the youth from the minority community to come forward for overall development. He was addressing a gathering from the minority cell of the party at Khagda stadium in Kishenganj on the concluding day of his two-day visit to Bihar.
This article is posted by Press Brief.