Debra: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal alleging that it only worked for the party and had failed to usher in change.
"We want to include and work for the poor, but the government here works for the party. If you are not a Trinamool worker then you do not get any benefit in the state," Gandhi told an election rally in Debra in Ghatal constituency.
"You will get beaten up if you belong to any other party. You will be suppressed and work will not be done in a democratic way," he said. He alleged that Congress workers, who were beaten up earlier by Left supporters, were now being assaulted by the ruling party men.
"When we worked with the Trinamool here we thought we will remove the Left Front, remove the red flag and bring in a new government which will work for development," Gandhi said.
"It is a matter of regret that red flags have been removed. Green flags have come, but nothing has changed in the state," he said. On the issue of corruption, he said that it continued to prevail.
"20 lakh people were affected by the Saradha chitfund scam. Poor people were affected. Irregularities were noticed in the school teachers recruitment scam where 35,000 teachers were recruited," he said.
Countering Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that the Centre deprived the state of funds, Gandhi said, "We send thousands of crores from Delhi.
"We sent money which was five times more than what was given by the previous NDA government. They used to give 5,000 crore we gave 26,000 crore to West Bengal."
"She is saying that we are not sending money, but the fact is that they do not utilise the funds," he alleged.
Gandhi said the previous Left Front and the Mamata government spoke about providing employment, but nothing happened.
"People here get only 35 days work under MNREGA, while people in the rest of the country get work for 100 days," he said.
"In the last ten years Congress has lifted 15 crore people out of poverty by giving them rights. We guaranteed 100 days work to the poor and gave them right to food. It is a matter of regret that the right to food which is implemented in rest of the country is not implemented here," Gandhi said.
He promised that on being voted to power for a third time, a Congress-led government would give them the right to health services, right to shelter and pension for the poor.
Gandhi also stressed on the need to increase a manufacturing base in India saying, that even Mamata Banerjee's slipper might have a 'Made in China' tag.
He said crores would get jobs once the industrial corridor was complete. On atrocities against women, Gandhi said he regretted that West Bengal topped the list in violence against women.
He said to empower women, the Congress wanted to give 35 per cent reservation to them in Lok Sabha and Assembly, make 2,000 women police stations and have 25 per cent women in the police force.
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