The Hindu : Other States / Uttar Pradesh News : Congress should avoid compromises in U.P., says Rahul

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Friday, Feb 11, 2005

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Congress should avoid compromises in U.P., says Rahul

AMETHI, FEB. 10. Congress should avoid making any compromise even if it meant staying away from power for some more time if it wants to regain strength in the ``politically important'' state of Uttar Pradesh, party leader and MP Rahul Gandhi said here today.

Emphasising that the long-term plan of the party was definitely to come back to power in this politically important state, Mr. Gandhi, however, said that for the time being attention should be on strengthening the party organsiation. ``My personal view is that any compromise should be avoided if the Congress has to regain its position in Uttar Pradesh even if it meant staying away from power for some more time,'' Mr. Gandhi, who is currently on a three-day visit to his constituency, told reporters.

To a question whether by compromises, he meant speculative tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress MP said, ``I never said that". Declining to commit himself to the BSP ultimatum to the Centre for dismissing the UP government, he said ``I do not have anything to say about what others demand''. However, he agreed with the BSP views that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh was in a ``very bad shape''.

When pressed for his comments on the law and order situation in the state, specially after the murder of a local party leader Shahabuddin Khan recently, Mr. Gandhi said, ``certainly the law and order situation in U.P. is terrible and posed a real problem for the workers who were genuinely working for the uplift of the party organisation''.

With the news of Rahul Gandhi's arrival in his constituency, around 250 people had lined outside his guest house in order to narrate their problems. Sabira, a 55 year-old widow and a daily wager from Sarae Khama village in Amethi, did not have the means to marry off her two daughters but hopes her MP, Rahul Gandhi would do something to bail her out. ``I tried to meet him earlier but failed. I hope that he gives me an audience this time,'' she said in an emotional voice holding an application here today.

An unemployed youth, Sher Alam from Ramgarh village has already met Rahul thrice before and demanded a job for himself, but was here again with the same plea. He does not know where his application goes each time but is not willing to lose hope.

``I have faith in Rahul bhaiya (brother) who will help me soon or later,'' he said. Gulaba Devi of Vishweshwarganj also came with a job request while Santosh Kumar Yadav from Pure Thane village wanted financial help for his gall bladder operation.

Local poet, Sahil Sultanpuri, who claimed to have written a `maha kavya' on Rajiv Gandhi titled `Dastaan-e-Balidan Rajiv Mahan' wanted Rahul to inaugurate his book of poetry in Delhi on August 20 next, the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister.

Some were ordinary voters who did not have any work but just wanted to meet their MP and have a word with him. The young MP did not disappoint the waiting public as he spent more than an hour listening to the issues of these people. However, he spoke to them from inside his car which was driven slowly by his local representative. --PTI

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Congress should avoid compromises in U.P., says Rahul