Accusing successive governments led by Bharatiya Janta Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party of not fulfilling dreams of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Panchayats and local bodies, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said that the Congress would now make those dreams come true for the people. He was releasing the party’s 'Vision Document' for the coming Urban local Bodies poll on Wednesday.
In the presence of party leaders including Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and lucknow Mayoral candidate Prema Awasthi, Babbar released the document coined 'Haq Purti Patra' promising basic amenities in local bodiesif his party won.
However, Babbar was very critical ofthe BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for raking up lord Rama in the poll campaign.
"No one can challenge the authority of lord Rama. But the BJP should know that Rama never threatened anyone and the lord would have not forgiven the BJP for its failures and laxity. While the BJP chants slogans of Ram, it does the opposite of what the lord wants," he said while replying to a querry.
"If the present Yogi government followed lord Rama's path then how were 1000 children killed in just one hospital in Gorakhpur," he further asked.
The Congress leader alleged that the dreams of late Rajiv Gandhi was shattered by consecutive non-Congress state governments who did not distroibute funds meant for local bodies honestly.
"We have not promised lucrative sops as done by the BJP and other parties, but have only raked up the basic needs of the people in cities," Babbar said.
"Corruption in the local bodies have led to bad roads and choked drains putting people's health to risk. In lucknow too, the situation did not improve when Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpai represented the city," he alleged.
In its five-page manifesto, the Congress promised basic amenities for the people in urban areas including cleanliness, good roads, lED street lights, good hospitals, CCTV cameras at vital places, memorials and parks after freedom fighters and also to end illegal collection of money from taxis, buses and shopkeepers.
Babbar also ridiculed spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar's act of mediating in the Ayodhya issue. "Sri Sri had earlier gone for a similar exercise in Kashmir and Sri lanka and people know what happened. He even went ahead to solve the ISIS issue which is strange. It is just a propaganda of the guru to get publicity," Babbar told reporters.