“We are winning elections and I will continue to work for you till my last drop of blood and sweat. Even if you give 2 or 4 seats to the Congress Party, we will not ally thieves and goondas. We will compromise only with the people of this state and I will be here for you,” Shri Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, striking an emotional note with the audience.  He said that he cannot change the world but he can get respect for the people of UP.  Shri Gandhi added that he would never forget the love and respect that he had got from the people and would work for strengthening the state.  Addressing a rally in Pindra in Varanasi on Saturday, Shri Gandhi highlighted the lack of amenities in Uttar Pradesh by relating a personal incident. He said that when his mother had taken ill and was taken to a hospital for treatment, he and his sister Priyanka were very worried about her welfare because she was to undergo surgery.  “The hospital had good doctors, nurses and very good facilities but at that time a thought struck me that if my brothers in Uttar Pradesh were caught in a similar situation then they would have to face so many difficulties,” he said.  He said he wanted that if someone went to a hospital in UP, he would get good treatment, if a child went to school, he should get good education and if someone wanted a job he should get it but leaders here do not talk of all this—they just talk of caste and religion.  Shri Gandhi further said that like the legendary Arjun who had his focus fixed on the eye of the fish, his eyes are firmly fixed on the goal.  “I am blind to everything else. I cannot see the elections. I can only see the future of this state. It does not matter if the Congress gets only one seat in elections or 2 seats or 5 seats — all that matters to me is that UP must regain its lost glory,” he said.

Shri Gandhi said that in 2004 when the Congress came to power at the centre, it made only one promise– that it would give a government for the people and it would lead the country towards the path of progress and we have fulfilled that promise.  He pointed out that when Congress launched MNREGA , Ms Mayawati termed it as a ‘natak’ while the BJP questioned where the money would come from. Whenever the Congress plans for the welfare of the poor, the BJP feels money is being wasted.  Shri Gandhi said that when the farmers said that debts were a major problem for them and the banks had shut its doors on them, the Congress brought the loan waiver scheme worth Rs 60,000 crores and opened the doors of the banks again. The opposition again criticized the scheme.  He further said that the people of UP should go to other Congress-ruled states to see the progress that farmers, labourers and women had made. “In UP, Mayawati says it is natak whereas the real natak is by the magic elephant that eats up all your money in Lucknow and that of the cycle which shows false hopes and gets punctured,” he said.  He said that whenever the country has progressed, it has been because of its people who toil day and night. “My labour is nothing compared to the labour that you put in. You are the ones who feed the nation and the Opposition raises question when we do something for you,” he added.

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