Ignore Raj Thackeray's outbursts: Rahul

Launching a frontal attack on MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his alleged hate speeches against north Indians, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured full security and safety to people migrating to Mumbai or anywhere else for jobs and asked them to "ignore" Thackeray's outbursts.

"India is one. If the MNS chief makes hate speeches let him continue to do but please ignore it," Rahul said during a rally at Pandaul, about six km from Bihar's Madhubani district headquarters, while canvassing for Congress nominee and Union minister of State for Home Shakeel Ahmed.

"We are committed for the security and safety of people who are migrating for jobs to Mumbai, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab or anywhere else," Rahul, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, said.

"The UPA government led by Manmohan Singh has done everything possible for the poor people in the country during the past five years and we are committed towards uplifting the dalits, poor and other oppressed sections of the society," Rahul, who is on his second leg of electioneering in Bihar, said.

Calling on the people to vote for the party, he said, "It is very good that the Congress is going it alone in the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar."

Evading any attack on the Congress' old allies -- the RJD-LJP combine, he made a scathing attack on Nitish-led NDA government in the state. "While India is progressing, Bihar is going backward," he said.

Alleging that the centrally sponsored schemes are being trapped in Patna preventing the poor from getting their benefits, he claimed that lakhs of people from Bihar migrate to other states, including Punjab, Maharashtra and New Delhi for jobs.

Recalling his visit to a village in Uttar Pradesh where he met a dalit family, the AICC general secretary said he was moved by the plight of the family members.

The UPA, during its five years' rule at the Centre had tried to reach justice to the poor, dalits and farmers, he added.

Listing out the achievements of the UPA government, Rahul said many schemes were launched for the poor and the loans of farmers were also waived off.

"We have enacted a legislation guaranteeing jobs for 100 days to poor people, besides waiving off loans to farmers," he said.

He also criticised the state government for its alleged failure to reach help to the victims during the recent floods.

"We have enacted a legislation guaranteeing jobs for 100 days to poor people, besides waiving off loans to farmers", he said, while enumerating the achievements of the Manmohan Singh government.

He also criticised the Bihar government for its alleged failure to reach help to the victims during the recent floods.

Lauding performance of Shakeel Ahmed as union minister, Gandhi said his party candidate for Madhubani parliamentary constituency had been in constant touch with him for development of the area.

"We have given lot of projects for Madhubani which now has direct rail connectivity with most of the major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata", he said.

Besides, several mobile towers have been set up for sorting out the communication problems in the area, Gandhi said.

Union minister Shakeel Ahmed also spoke.

Gandhi referred to the terror attacks on Parliament and "letting off terrorists to Afghanistan" following the Kandahar hijack during the NDA regime and observed the NDA seemed to forget all about it, at a rally in Deogarh in Jarkhand.

Stating the development issue has become redundant for the opposition, the young Gandhi said, "they are only raising terrorism and not development issues."

Embarking on the unity issue, the Congress general secretary said his party's effort was to stitch all sections of the nation in a single thread and provide a government that would eradicate poverty.

Apparently referring to the Gujarat riots and the anti-north India campaign by Raj Thackeray's MNS, he said "we are working for unity. We want to stitch all sections of the society in one single thread while the opposition rakes up issues which confronted Gujarat and Maharastra."

The 38-year old Congress leader, who was addressing the meeting in support of party candidate Furkan Ansari from Godda Lok Sabha seat, said "we have given 100 days' employment under NREGA, introduced mid-day meals in several schools, waived farmers' loans and restored tribal rights under the Forest Act. (Against this) the NDA regime had witnessed suicides by farmers in large number."