Rahul Gandhi asks people to end CPI(M)'s 'misrule' in WB

Siliguri (WB), Apr 14: Asking voters to end the 34-year ''misrule'' of the Left Front government in West Bengal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today (April 14) said the state, which had once set an example before others, has suffered a sorry decline.

Whether in industry, agriculture, employment or education, West Bengal's performance is "pathetic" compared to states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, he said.

Addressing a string of election rallies across north Bengal where elections are scheduled for April 18 in the first leg of the six-phase election, he said, "Congress and Trinamool are fighting together in this election and will give a government that will usher in development to West Bengal."

Rahul regretted that while a government should be for ''aam admi'' and geared to their welfare only, here the government's first priority is its own organisation and cadres and then the people of the state.

He accused the CPI-M of ''grabbing'' central funds meant for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.

He alleged that the UPA government had allocated crores of rupees to the state under different schemes, including NREGA, but there was no proper utilisation of the funds and CPI-M members and the cadres were the ultimate beneficiaries.

"The ideology of the communists, which has become obsolete in the rest of the world, existed here for 34 years. This exists for CPI-M. This is not for you," he said.

According to Rahul, the UPA government has waived Rs 70,000 crore worth of debts of farmers and made available land to tribals through the Tribal Act.

He said the government would shortly introduce a food security bill in Parliament to see that no one in the country suffers from poverty and hunger.

In the Naxalbari meeting, a large number of supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha were present with their party flags to cheer the leader. The GJM has announced its unilateral support to the Trinamool-Congress alliance.

Rahul claimed that the state has the highest rate of school dropouts in the country at 80 per cent. There is also 15 per cent urban employment and 10 per cent rural unemployment.

A huge corpus of funds amounting to Rs 113,000 crore had been granted to the state for implementing several flagship programmes of the central government "but it has not reached you," he said.

Under Congress rule, he said the country had progressed rapidly with large number of industries and factories being set up in several states and he cited the examples of Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka.

Gandhi addressed rallies at Naxalbari in Darjeeling district, Mal in Jalpaiguri district, Motabari in Malda district and Domkal in Murshidabad district.

He was scheduled to address another meeting at Farakka in Murshidabad district, but that was cancelled due to his delay in arrival in the district owing to inclement weather in Jalpaiguri where he had to travel by a car instead of a helicopter from Mal to Bagdogra airport.

PTI