The PM announced a string of sops such as new central schools, an agriculture university in Jhansi, upgrading the existing medical college and a special fund of Rs 200 crore for solving the perennial drinking water crisis in the area. He blamed the ruling BSP government for its inability to spend of Rs 1,800 crore already released by the Centre.
"The performance of UP government is well below expectations,'' Singh said. "Things have deteriorated perceptibly since 2004,'' he said, hoping for better coordination from chief minister Mayawati to put the economy of the most backward pocket in the country back on track.
Rahul, whose jibe at Mayawati three years ago that "only five paisa out of Re 1 sent from the Centre reached the Bundelas,'' had triggered a fierce war of words, was scathing in his attack. He held the CM responsible for "gross misutilisation of MNRGES funds, mass migration of youth and the pathetic plight of the underprivileged or dalits.''
"The Central rural scheme, MNRGES in the area is in a shambles. Every village that I visited, the stories were more or less the same: most had not received job cards and those who have the cards do not get employment or even payment for their work,'' he said.
