Rahul hands over solar-powered carts to poor as he begins 2-day Raebareli-Amethi visit

    Raebareli (UP), Apr 29 (PTI) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Tuesday handed over solar-powered carts to the underprivileged in Raebareli as he kickstarted a two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareli and the adjoining Amethi.
    He is scheduled to visit Amethi on Wednesday.
    The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha landed at the Lucknow airport in the morning to a welcome by state Congress chief Ajay Rai, Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma and other leaders. He then travelled to Rae Bareli by road.
    In Raebareli, Gandhi inaugurated a 2 MW solar roof plant and electric charging station at Visaka Industries. He also handed over around a dozen solar-powered carts donated by an NGO to the underprivileged at the occasion.
    "He (Rahul Gandhi) has a long-standing relationship with Uttar Pradesh. The Gandhis have familial ties with the Raebareli-Amethi region," Rai told PTI.
    Gandhi's visit comes within days of the Congress's 'Samvidhan Bachao' (Save Constitution) rally in Basti. At the rally, party leaders had claimed that the Constitution was under threat under the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
    In Raebareli, Gandhi inaugurated a statue of Subhas Chandra Bose at the Civil Lines Chauraha and then attended the Disha (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) meeting held at the Bachat Bhawan.
    After the meeting, Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was also present, addressed the media and made critical remarks about the Congress leader's intentions.
    Singh accused Gandhi of attending the meeting merely for media attention, saying, "He comes just to make headlines. On the way, he might stop to eat jalebi or sit at a cobbler's shop because it gets him media coverage."
    He added, "The MP from Rae Bareli comes with tinted windows and doesn't answer a single journalist's question. That's not the conduct of a responsible MP."
    Singh also claimed that he had proposed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the recent tragic incident in Pahalgam.
    "We proposed that everyone should stand for two minutes to pay tribute to the victims. This resolution will be sent to the families of the deceased. Everyone supported the proposal and observed the silence," he said.
    Questioning Gandhi's contribution, Singh concluded, "What gift or offering can Rahul Gandhi truly bring to Rae Bareli?"
    Raebareli DM Harshita Mathur presented a point-wise list of all the schemes related to the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (Disha), the district information office said in a statement.
    Gandhi discussed various schemes Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural), National Rural Livelihood Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and other schemes.
    He directed the District Magistrate to resolve the problems received from the public representatives related to the repair and construction of roads on priority. He inquired about the availability of veterinary doctors and artificial insemination facilities from the Animal Husbandry Department.
    He also enquired about the progress of the Ganga Expressway construction work being done by NHAI. There was also a discussion on the bypass roads being built in the district.
    Gandhi said officers should take the public problems seriously and solve them on priority and in a timely manner.
    In the meeting, the MP also called on the women helpline number 181, the call was received immediately and he spoke to the personnel working there.
    Gandhi, along with Kishori Lal Sharma, also visited the Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli where he was provided an overview of the factory's operations and products.
    He inspected various types of railway coaches and wheels manufactured at the facility, including Sleeper, AC 3-Tier Economy, AC Pantry Car, Non-AC Chair Car, Tejas, Rajdhani, Bharat Gaurav and Vande Bharat (prototype shell items) trains. He expressed satisfaction with the production process and the quality of the coaches, a statement by MCF said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)