CPM gives Rahul Gandhi a reality check

Kolkata, Sep 10: The CPM has dished out a rude reality check for Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi for his earlier criticism of governance in West Bengal.

In the party's weekly publication, the CPM has said that even the most backward district of West Bengal fares better than the Gandhi bastions in Uttar Pradesh.

A People's Democracy editorial drew comparison between Purulia in West Bengal and Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli and Rahul Gandhi's Amethi.

"One can understand such campaigns at the time of elections. But, even these have to be based on facts and realities. Some parts of West Bengal like Purulia had been described as the most backward in the country."

"A comparison of the socio-economic indicators of Purulia with those in Rae Bareily and Amethi will tell the real story. The number of people below the poverty line in Purulia is 31 per cent compared to 54 per cent in Rae Bareli and Amethi," the article, which cited plenty of development indicators, read.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier this week accused the Left government of slowing down the development in the state of West Bengal. In his first ever rally in Kolkata, the young Congress leader said that there are two Bengals - one that is backward and full of poor people and another that's controlled by CPM cadres.

Besides lashing out at Rahul Gandhi, the Left party also attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Supreme Court's recent ruling on distribution of food grains to the poor.

OneIndia News