Rahul afraid of facing Amethi people, say Modi ministers
Three union ministers, who were in Amethi for the inauguration of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) on Saturday, played up Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the event and questioned his commitment to his Lok Sabha constituency.
Rahul Gandhi had said in a letter to union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan that he would not be able to attend the ceremony since it wasn’t scheduled on a mutually convenient date.
For their part, the union ministers on Saturday alleged that he was afraid of facing the people of Amethi. Their barb came two days after Congress veteran Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined the BJP and questioned Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. The RGIPT project was conceived by the Congress government but completed by the Modi government. The Modi government reportedly sanctioned Rs 302 crore against the Rs 129 crore by the then Congress government for the project.
After inaugurating RGIPT, union ministers Smriti Irani (textiles), Dharmendra Pradhan (petroleum) and Prakash Javadekar (HRD) also distributed free LPG gas connections to below poverty line (BPL) women in Amethi showcasing Modi government’s plans to dent the Congress connect with this constituency.
Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, Pradhan said, “I don’t know whether ‘Pappu’ has passed or failed in understanding whether Rs 302 crore push was bigger than Rs 129 crore one or not.”
Irani challenged Rahul to hold a ‘khat sabha’ in Amethi while asking the crowd if the local MP has ever targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a local MLA in the Gandhi pocket borough. Prajapati is accused of minting millions through the state’s mining scam. “He will never be able to speak up against Prajapati because it’s with his support that he won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls,” Irani alleged.
Claiming that in two years, the Modi government has given LPG connections to one lakh BPL families in Amethi, Pradhan announced that by 2018 his ministry would ensure that nearly 1,70, 000 remaining BPL families too would be covered.
A skill development centre inside the RGIPT campus has also been promised. Javadekar assured Irani of an open school and a national open university in Amethi soon.
The distribution of LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Scheme to 1021 women – 21 of whom were handed over connection letters by the ministers – was preceded by some drama with one Shamil Hussain, an officer of the petroleum ministry, being asked to come on stage.
“He was the officer who was sent to invite Rahul Gandhi for the function. But Rahul Gandhi’s office refused the invite,” the ministers claimed alleging that the local MP was unable to face the people in the presence of Modi ministers. The Gandhi scion had, however, thanked the petroleum minister but tweeted his inability to attend owing to prior commitments.
“This time he cited his busy schedule. Now, we would invite him again for the unveiling of the statue of Swami Vivekananda on the RGIPT campus. And this time, we would give him enough time to accept our invite. Let’s see if he comes here then,” the ministers said.