February 15, 2012 3:03:29 am

Sharing the dais for the first time in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh,Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today lambasted the Mayawati regime for lack of development alleging large-scale corruption in implementation of central schemes worth Rs 1 lakh crore.
The Congress president and her daughter held all the non-Congress parties like the BSP,the SP and the BJP,that ruled Uttar Pradesh over the past two decades,responsible for its current sorry state of affairs saying that the state was not like this when the Congress was in power.
Asserting that the Centre never differentiated among states when it came to providing them funds for development,Sonia listed schemes like MNREGA,PMGSY,NRHM SSA and several other plans under which over Rs 1 lakh crore were given to the BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
Alleging corruption in the funds allocated to
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UP,she asked after all where is that money. Where was it spent. Its clear that scams and corruption have taken place.
The Congress president was also critical of the state government for obstructing the implementation of Centres schemes and efforts to develop the state particularly Rae Bareli and Amethi represented by her and Rahul Gandhi.
She said the Centre made a number of plans for the development of the state but they were obstructed.
Citing BSPs earlier opposition to the Centres plan to set up a rail coach factory at Rae Bareli,the Congress president wondered whether people of Rae Bareli and Amethi do not have a right to get employment? Sonia alleged that Mayawati had deliberately ignored the areas considered to be Congress strongholds (Rae Bareli,Amethi).
Asking people not to be misled by the campaign of those political parties doing politics in the
name of caste and religion,Sonia urged them to vote for the Congress. It is a matter of regret that all ideals and principles are at risk in UP where a phase of petty interest,corruption and politics of opportunism has been launched in the name of caste and religion, she added.
All the parties be it BJP,SP or the BSP have joined hands for power time and again and have together ruined the state and with them around there can be no hope of development of the entire state including Rae Bareli, Sonia said. My coming here is nothing new but this is a special occasion as it is election time and people of different parties come here who have had nothing to do with the people here in five years,she said.
Priyanka adopted an interactive style to reach
out to people at the rally soliciting a promise to change the government in Uttar Pradesh.
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