Hooda blames non-Cong govts in UP for state's non-development

Deoria, Apr 30 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today blamed the non-Congress governments in Uttar Pradesh for lack of development and rise of casteism and communalism in the state.

''The rule of the non-Congress governments in Uttar Pradesh has brought no development during the past 18 years while casteism and communalism kept breeding all this while,'' Mr Hooda said while addressing an election rally in favour of Congress candidate Akhilesh Partap Singh at Rudarpur in Deoria district of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress, he said, was the only party in the country which had policy, intention and leadership to ensure all round development in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Hooda said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's act of declining to hold the office of Prime Minister had no parallel in the world.

''She has been rendering selfless service to the nation.'' He appealed to the voters to give massive mandate to the candidates of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Mr Hooda criticised the non-Congress governments for not taking effective steps to improve infrastructure of irrigation in this land of Ganga and Yamuna. ''The farmers of Uttar Pradesh were depending on rains for agriculture. They have not been given tubewell connections to utilise underground water.'' Mr Hooda also addressed election rallies in favour of Congress candidates Bhola Pandey in Salempur, Sudama Prasad in Maharajganj, Siddarth Priya in Gorakhpur and Azra Sultan at Tanda.

UNI