Sonia accuses Raj govt of not doing enough for drought affected

Jaisalmer, June 26 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi today accused the Rajasthan government of ''not doing enough'' to provide relief to the drought affected in the state, saying it has even failed to utilise the Central funds for the purpose.

Ms Gandhi, on a two-day visit to the state, while reviewing the drought relief works in Mool Sagar, Damodara, Kanoi and Sam villages in this district, told reporters that the state government has failed to utilise the Central aid and funds for the purpose.

She said the ruling BJP government was not making adequate arrangements to mitigate the sufferings of the people in the drought-hit areas and she had received a number of complaints regarding lacunae in the relief works.

The state Congress unit took her to affected villages in western Rajasthan where the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) has not been implemented till now to prove their allegation that BJP government was ignorant of the plight of the suffering people.

The Congress President also interacted with labourers. ''The labourers are being given inferior quality food grains and are not even getting adequate days of employment,'' she charged.

Ms Gandhi's visit has charged the political atmosphere in the state, fuelling what the opposition describes as ''drought politics,'' which it alleges was aimed at reviving the party in the state.

Seriously rejecting the allegations by the Congress President, state relief minister Kirorilal Meena alleged the Centre has not sanctioned any fund to Rajasthan under the relief head in 2005-06, despite the demand for allocation of foodgrain and cash component having been made six months ago.

Mr Meena said the Centre has allocated only two lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain against the demand for 15.86 lakh metric tonnes, adding the UPA government's partisan attitude ''is making the people suffer for no reason.

He also claimed that Mrs Gandhi's visit is a desperate attempt to revive the ''moribund Congress Party'' in the state and bring the ''constantly quarelling factions'' in the party together.

Ms Gandhi reached here this morning around 0900 hrs and headed straight to Mulsagar village. She later visited the Damodara village where she inspected a cattle camp and reviewed the relief works.

She also visited Kanoi and Sam village.

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