Rahul Gandhi gifts Amethi 2 new trains, railway line

Amethi (UP): Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday gifted his constituency two new trains and a railway line, but said such steps alone would not pull the poor out of poverty.

"I reiterate it several times that laying railway lines and building airports alone will not pull the poor out of poverty...For this we have brought big schemes - first MNREGS and now food security scheme....," he said.

Terming food security scheme as a revolutionary step, he said the poor will get foodgrains every month at highly subsidised rates.

"This is a revolutionary step, which would change the face of the country," he said.

"For thousands of years people used to sleep hungry. Now this will not happen...Earlier there was slogan that we will eat 'half roti', now it has become 'puri roti khayenge' (we will eat full roti)," he said.

The Congress Vice-President was here to inaugurate two trains and lay foundation of a new railway line at a programme in Salon area where some people tried to show him black flags but were but were prevented from doing so by party workers.

Regretting that he could not devote as much time as required to his constituency, Rahul said after becoming Vice President of Congress he had to travel to many places, but once a month he tried to come here.

"However, I get strength from this relationship (with Amethi) and work with your blessings. I had visited Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram recently but I enjoy the most in Amethi," he said.

Striking an emotional chord with people, he said it was a dream of his father late Rajiv Gandhi that a railway line be laid here and this was being fulfilled today.

"I want to ensure connectivity of Amethi with Lucknow, Delhi and rest of the world...In the field of infrastructure whatever work has been done in Amethi perhaps has not been done elsewhere...a lot of work has been done for youths and in the education sector," Rahul said.

"Railway lines cover all the five tehsils, there are 14 new stoppages and five ideal stations," he said, adding railways officials have told him that the quantum and depth of works undertaken in Amethi have not been done elsewhere.

With the laying of new tracks, potato and mint growers would be benefited, he said, adding it was his belief that Amethi should be connected to the rest of the country and the world.

"By connecting the people here with food park, potato chips made here in future would be directly taken out of India from Fursatganj (airport in Rae Bareli)," he said.

Rahul earlier laid the foundation of 67-km long Uchahar-Salon-Amethi rail line to be built at a cost of Rs 380 crore and gifted Lucknow-Pratapgarh and Lucknow-Sultanpur trains which would provide cheap mode to commute.

"Now the women will see the magic of reaching Lucknow in Rs 30 to 40," he said, promising that he would do whatever possible for Amethi from the core of his heart.

Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said Northern Railways had undertaken works worth Rs 4,800 crore in this region.

Interestingly, though certain MPs like Ratna Singh (Pratapgarh) and P L Punia (Barabanki) and some MLAs were present on the dais, neighbouring Sultanpur MP, Sanjay Singh who has recently been in news for his reported proximity with BJP, was missing.

Meanwhile, security personnel at the entry point had to stop a person who insisted on going inside the venue of the function with his licensed revolver.