Apr 18 2008
Rahul Gandhi stopped from meeting DC in UP!
Congress General Secretery Rahul Gandhi was stopped by the police to meet the Divisional Commissioner in Uttar Pradesh leading the young congress leader to sit on the road on a dharna as the head of more then 200 farmers.
Rahul who landed in Jhansi on Friday afternoon was on his way to meet the DC P V Jaganmohan to solve the problems of the farmers as a part of his renewed campaign against irregularities in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Farmers’ suicides have also been reported in the past from this region of Uttar Pradesh.
After landing in Jhansi, Rahul met the draught hit farmers in Ghisauli village. Farmers told him that they were denied of the employment assured under the centrally funded NREGS which guarantees 100 days engagement against a daily wage of Rs 100 during a year’s span.
Farmers telling about their problems stated, “There is some commotion when someone like you or Chief Minister Mayawati comes here; but no sooner than you all leave, officials turn apathetic once again.”
After going through their problems and other issues Rahul rushed to the DC residence along with the farmers in one of the five locally arranged buses.
Out of panic or what, Rahul was interrupted some 500 m away and stopped him there saying, “The divisional commissioner sent word that he was willing to meet Rahul alone, but would not allow him to bring the 200 — odd farmers accompanying him.”
But Rahul denied the order and sat on the roads along with the farmers.
Apparently, on getting a green signal from state capital Lucknow, the commissioner agreed to let Rahul in along with the band of farmers.
After meeting with commissioner P V Jagmohan and his team of officials, Rahul told the media, “I came here to convey the plight of these villagers to the commissioner; they are very poor people and they wanted that I must accompany them so that their grievance against serious discrepancies and irregularities in NREGS could be redressed.”
“The commissioner has promised to ensure proper implementation of NREGS in this village so that these poor farmers were duly employed and paid the prescribed wages under the provisions of the scheme.” He added.
