Three-time MP and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, whose candidature for the Ranchi parliament seat was finalized by Congress high command last week, today slammed the BJP government in centre and state for haphazard urban growth, with the promise, vote for the Congress and get back your clean and green Ranchi.
Launching his election campaign from Vidya Nagar (the area behind State BJP headquarter), Sahay said, “In last five years, neither the central nor the state government had done anything concrete in town planning. Today, I visited various areas and felt pity discovering that people are living in poor condition, many areas don’t have roads. Where there are roads, there are no drains.”
The veteran State Congress leader claimed that the visionless government has messed up with Capital in name of development. He said, “After going through the various localities in Ranchi, I can say that the Capital has become an urban slum. All the national surveys in which Ranchi was ranked with higher grade are stage managed to fool the people.” The Congress leader who is likely to have triangular contest with BJP new candidate Sanjay Seth and rebel BJP candidate Ram Tahal Choudhary attacked the BJP government for Smart City projects.
Sahay said, “The much hyped Smart city project is a ‘trick’ to fool people. Work on the Smart City is yet to start full-fledged and also the much hyped Smart City is going to cater only a small percentage of people in Capital.”
The Congress leader claimed that the people are in mood for change as the Saffron party has broken the social structure in urban and rural pockets. The economic condition of people is poor due to unplanned implementation of Goods and Service Taxes (GST) and demonetization.
Lauding Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s big poll promise minimum income scheme (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) which talks about a cash transfer of Rs 72,000 a year in the account of 5 crore families who are poorest 20 per cent in India, Sahay said, “The poll promise will be game changer for party as it will definitely help needy and poor.” The Congress last week released its election manifesto, stating that if the Congress is voted to power, it will give Rs 72,000 per year as minimum income to poor families which will benefits around 25 crore people, a move Rahul Gandhi has termed a surgical strike on poverty.
On Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims of one contender for PM post, the Congress leader said, “There is no harm of regional leaders projecting as Prime Minister. It is good that apart from Modijee there are other leaders in country who can become as Prime Minister.”