The Hindu : National : Rahul harps on Centre’s pro-poor policies

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Rahul harps on Centre’s pro-poor policies

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday made a strong pitch for the pro-poor policies of the party and sought a vote for continuity that would enable the Manmohan Singh-led government to implement with “vigour” the various programmes launched by it.

In all the four election rallies in Kerala, Mr. Gandhi harped on the pro- poor programmes implemented by the Centre and the “failure” of the State government to utilise the liberal central funds. The Centre had fulfilled its promise to look after the poor, Dalits and the STs, who benefited from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP).

Mr. Gandhi chose to highlight different issues in the four rallies. In Palakkad, his emphasis was on the benefits of the NREGP and the farm debt waiver scheme keeping in mind the agrarian character of the district.

In the spices-rich Idukki, he dwelt on the Centre’s special Idukki package and the “failure” of the LDF government to provide land for the Spices Park.

At Pathanamthitta, Mr. Gandhi, keeping in mind the district’s huge expatriate population, sympathised with the hundreds of Keralites who lost jobs owing to the global economic crisis. He contrasted the “pro-active” steps taken by the Centre to help Indian expatriates hit by the recession with that of the LDF government’s, which, he said, miserably failed to take any positive steps to rehabilitate them. In Kayamkulam, he turned the heat on the LDF government for its “non-utilisation” of tsunami relief funds worth Rs. 1600 crore. Out of the 11,000 houses meant for the tsunami-hit, only 40 houses were constructed.

Elections 2009 — Comprehensive coverage

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