Lucknow: Amethi never had it so good. With Lok Sabha elections now barely a few months away, political leaders are offering sops to voters in a big way.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who represents the Amethi parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha, has sent 40,000 saplings of high-yielding variety of Israeli bananas for the farmers in his constituency which will help in boosting their income. The saplings cost Rs 17 each and are being distributed by the farmers’ cell of the Congress.
Mr Anil Shukla who heads the farmers’ cell said that distribution of these saplings will continue till December 9, which is the birthday of Mrs Sonia Gandhi.
“This variety of bananas will help the farmers double their income,” he said.
Mr Gandhi has been facing flak from the BJP for neglecting his constituency and BJP leaders, in particular, have been blaming the Congress president for the backwardness of the constituency.
Union minister Smriti Irani who lost the 2014 elections to Mr Gandhi in Amethi, has been working overtime to ensure that she wrests the seat from Congress in 2019.
Ms Irani sent 10,000 saris for women in Amethi and also saplings of fruit bearing plants for farmers.
Ms Smriti Irani, along with several Uttar Pradesh ministers, will launch development projects worth over Rs 67 crore when she visits Amethi on November 19 which is also the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi. .
During the function, the union and state ministers will distribute artificial limbs among 990 divyangs and senior citizens while inaugurating a three-day job fair of Ayodhya division. In the job fair, around 50 companies are likely to participate.
Other projects to be launched in the Amethi districts are 49 roads, four ITI buildings, Sadbhavana Mandap and inauguration of 2 PHC bhawan. Besides, 200 hand pumps would also be distributed by the union minister.
Ms Smriti Irani has visited Amethi more than a dozen times since she lost elections in 2014. In each of her Amethi visits, she makes it a point to highlight Mr Gandhi’s absenteeism from his constituency.
