Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi made it clear on Tuesday that his party would have no arrangement or alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly election in 2012. The announcement sent ripples of joy through the party rank and file.
Rahul made the crucial and rather unexpected announcement at a Congress rally in Ahraura in UP’s remote Mirzapur district. He said the Congress’s sole aim would be to defeat BSP.
“Since the voting [over the cut motion] in parliament, there has
been talk of Congress having an understanding with BSP for the Vidhan Sabha election… I want all Congressmen to listen to this carefully… there will be no arrangement or alliance,” Rahul asserted.
“The government in UP will change, that is for sure… but my target is higher than that… it is the future of UP that must change, and youths will bring about that change,” he said. Rahul minced no words as he hit out at the Mayawati government. “There is no shortage of funds for development schemes… we send thousands of crores of rupees [from the Centre], but the money does not reach you.”
The Congress leader was expected to speak on the Maoist problem in Mirzapur and surrounding districts. But, surprisingly, he did not even mention the issue. Rahul devoted virtually his entire speech to highlighting the failures of the Mayawati regime.
