LUCKNOW: Former Congress president and Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi arrived on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency on Tuesday morning.
He commenced his visit by distributing over a dozen solar-powered carts donated by an NGO to the underprivileged. While winding up his two-day visit to Rae Bareli and Amethi, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, is slated to visit the family members of Kanpur’s Shubham Dwivedi who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) also inaugurated 2 MW Atom Solar Roof Plant and the Atom Electric Charging Station at Visaka Industries Limited, Kundanganj.
On the way to the inauguration venue, the Congress leader stopped at many places to greet his supporters. He also unveiled a statue of Subhash Chandra Bose at Civil Lines and then headed to the Bachat Bhawan (district collectorate) to attend the DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) meeting along with local leaders and public representatives.
During the meeting he raised questions over the Jal Jeevan Mission, claiming that a sample survey showed that the potable water schemes had not reached people so far.
At some places, leakage in the pipeline was spotted, and many households had not received the connection yet. He said that a committee comprising of officers and public representatives should be set up to check the authenticity of potable water schemes.
He expressed disappointment over central schemes, claiming that of the 25 trainees of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rural Skill Programme, only three could get placement. He called the programme a total flop.
Rahul Gandhi also visited the Railway Coach factory. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Rae Bareli on Tuesday will conclude in Amethi on Wednesday, thus, he will be keeping one of the promises he made during the 2024 general election that he would give equal treatment to both the Lok Sabha constituencies.
Both Rae Bareli and Amethi were considered to be the strongholds of the Nehru-Gandhi family till Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to Smriti Irani in 2019.
As Rahul Gandhi, who has represented Amethi Lok Sabha seat thrice in 2004, 2009 and 2014, decided to shift to Rae Bareli, and he was replaced by family loyalist KL Sharma against then Union minister Smriti Irani in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In Amethi, besides visiting the ordnance factory project at Korwa, Amethi, Rahul Gandhi is likely to inaugurate an open-heart surgery operation theatre at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, Munshiganj.
The ordnance factory project facility is for the production of AK-203 assault rifles, a Kalashnikov variant, as part of an Indo-Russian joint venture.
Rahul Gandhi is proposed to pay a visit to Indira Gandhi Nursing College at Munshiganj in the constituency.
Earlier, on Tuesday, upon arriving at Lucknow airport, he was received by state Congress chief Ajay Rai, Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma, and other local leaders.
Meanwhile, after winning from Rae Bareli in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, this has been the fifth visit of the Congress MP to his constituency.
However, after the DISHA meeting, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was also present at the meeting, addressed the media and made critical remarks about the Congress leader's intentions.
Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of attending the meeting merely to register his presence for media attention. "He comes just to make headlines. On the way, he might stop to eat jalebi or sit at a cobbler's shop because it gets him media coverage," said the minister.