Panel meeting not held, Cong says admin acting at BJP’s behest
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The BJP brought youths from other districts to cause disturbances and hold protests during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Amethi. AKHILESH PRATAP SINGH, Congress spokesman
LUCKNOW: Congress leaders have accused the Amethi district administration of acting at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s behest after the officials did not go by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s request to hold a meeting of the district level vigilance and monitoring committee on January 16 to review implementation of various projects in his Lok Sabha constituency.
The Amethi MP had made the request ahead of his two-day visit to the constituency. The visit concluded on Tuesday.
The district administration, however, urged him to suggest another date, saying the officials were busy with‘ Sam poor nS am ad han Divas’ organised there on January 16. Sampoorn Samadhan Divas is a forum for redressal of grievances at the tehsil level.
District magistrate Shakuntala Gautam said: “Yes, chief development officer Rahul Singh is sending a letter to the Amethi MP to give another date as all the district officers remained busy with the Sampoorn Samadhan Divas on January 16.” This was not the first time the district administration did not find the dates given by Gandhi convenient for a meeting of the committee.
A senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “The district administration did not find the dates given by Rahul Gandhi convenient even in October 2017. This time, the district administration changed the route of Rahul Gandhi’s convoy in Gauriganj, the district headquarters of Amethi.”
These meetings are presided over by the local MP and held at a mutually convenient time and date. The Congress leaders also accused the BJP of trying to make things difficult for Rahul Gandhi in his constituency in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Congress spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh alleged, “The BJP brought youths from other districts to cause disturbances and hold protests during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Amethi. I got a call that one of the youths was from Gorakhpur.”
Senior BJP leader Uma Shankar Mishra said: “The Amethi MP has not cared to hold a meeting of the committee for the past one year. He has not spent Rs 3 crore from his MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund. Rahul Gandhi’s failure to bring development to his Lok Sabha seat was one of the points the protestors raised during the Congress MP’s visit to Amethi.”
“There were also protests against Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust buying land of Samrat Cycles in an auction. Those protesting were farmers whose land had been acquired for projects on the promise of jobs. We are not involved in protests. We, however, have full sympathy with the protestors,” he said.
The Congress countered all the charges and party leaders provided a list of Rae Bareli and Amethi projects cancelled during the tenure of the Modi government.
Congress leaders familiar with the matter said: “The district administration did not accept Rahul Gandhi’s request to hold a vigilance committee meeting on January 16. Proposals of about ₹6 crore expenditure from MPLAD funds are pending with the district administration. ”
Gandhi too has time and again spoken about cancellation of projects and promised that he will restore all of them when a Congress-led government is formed.