Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday kick-started the party's campaign for Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls performing Narmada Puja and announcing five guarantees for people of the state.
Addressing a mega rally, Gandhi said, if voted to power in MP, the Congress will provide Rs 1,500 per month to women, LPG cylinders for Rs 500, 100 units of electricity free, implement the old pension scheme, and waive off farm loans.
The Congress leader hit out at the ruling BJP government over issues ranging from alleged scams to ‘growing unemployment’ and ‘atrocities against women and tribals’ in the state. Accusing the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of indulging in a ‘new scam every month’, the Congress leader said, “I was surprised to know that the list of Madhya Pradesh government’s scams is longer than than that of the list which was shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about abuses. The BJP has done 225 scams in 220 months of rule in the state.”
“This is the development the BJP government brought around in the last three years after toppling the Congress government,” quipped Priyanka. She also targeted the BJP government over alleged corruption in 'Mahakal Lok' corridor saying the saffron party did not spare even the gods.
"They (BJP) come here and make announcements during the elections and forget after winning, this is what is happening here in Madhya Pradesh. "I heard that a couple of days back, BJP announced a scheme here in Jabalpur. I would ask the state government, "What have you done in the last 18 years?" "Whatever promises our party made, we have fulfilled them in Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, " said the Congress leader. Mocking the BJP's "double-engine government" poll talk, Gandhi said, "We have seen a lot of double and triple-engine governments, but people of Himachal and Karnataka have given a befitting reply in the polls."
Narmada puja at Gwarighat
Before addressing the rally, Priyanka performed the Narmada puja at Gwarighat in the city. She was accompanied by MP Congress president Kamal Nath, party general secretary in-charge of the state J P Agrawal and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha. Local MLA Tarun Bhanot presented to her an idol of Lord Ganesh.
Five guarantees for people of state ...
Talking about the five guarantees, Priyanka said, "A monthly aid of Rs 1500 will be given to every woman in the state, an LPG gas cylinder to each household at Rs 500, 100 units of electricity free and 200 units at half price, loans of farmers will be waived and will implement old pension scheme in the state." "We have come to the banks of Maa Narmada, we will not lie," she added.
