Lucknow, April 16: A war of words broke out between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Amethi on Monday as local MP and Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrived here on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency.
Local Congress leaders alleged that Rahul Gandhi was prevented by the district administration of Amethi from inaugurating a five-km road in his constituency, for which he had laid the foundation stone on January 16 this year.
But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the road was being built under the Prime Minister road construction scheme and hence, senior party leader and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani would be throwing it open during her next visit to Amethi.
Clarifying the issue, District Magistrate Shakuntala Gautam said the road was still incomplete and if the MP wanted, he could certainly go and see it and review its construction.
The Rs 3.30-crore road is to link Kotwa village with Thori village here.
Irani had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election against the Gandhi scion and has been grooming the constituency for her next political outing in the 2019 general elections.
While Congressmen were quite worked up after the news spread, senior district Congress leader Yogendra Mishra said the BJP was trying to slight the Congress President by spreading such rumours. Gandhi had merely gone there to review the ongoing work, he added.
But, his statement contradicted the programme of the Congress chief, released beforehand by his representative Chandrakant Dubey, in which the inauguration of the road was mentioned.
District BJP chief Uma Shanker Pandey alleged that even though the road was built under a scheme of the Prime Minister and not the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund, Rahul Gandhi was trying to take credit for it and hence, he raised the objection.
He, however, added that when the road would be inaugurated by Smriti Irani, Gandhi would also be invited as the local MP.
Earlier, the Congress President was received at Lucknow airport by senior party functionaries. He was greeted by a sloganeering crowd of party workers who sought his intervention alleging that the party had been sold out by middlemen.
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Indian High Commission hosts Pongal festivities for migrant workers in Singapore
Singapore (PTI): The Indian High Commission in Singapore led nearly 1,500 Indian migrant workers in a day-long celebration of Pongal, a major harvest festival, that also marks the beginning of the Tamil month.
High Commissioner Dr Shilpak Ambule and Tung Yui Fai, Chief of the Assurance, Care and Engagement Group in the Ministry of Manpower, joined the celebrations on Sunday, extending greetings and well wishes to the workers at the festival held in the northern Singapore’s industrial district of Sembawang.
“The evening brought together migrant workers, community partners, and volunteers in a vibrant celebration of culture,” said S. Ganesh, lead organiser of Mett.AI which organises events for migrant workers through social networks.
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“Over 50 talented local artists, performing alongside migrant workers, delivered electrifying performances and colourful cultural showcases that captured the essence and vibrancy of India’s harvest festivals,” he said.
More than 110 dedicated volunteers, mostly Indian professionals working in Singapore, helped transform the event into a memorable experience for the workers from India employed by heavy duty construction and marine industries as well as domestic helpers, said Ganesh.
The Sunday evening programme featured live music, traditional performances, yoga and meditation sessions, and a fashion showcase highlighting India’s rich textile heritage and festive traditions.
The celebration, a second edition by the High Commission, is also part of the Pongal-events hosted by the Singapore Indian Heritage Centre on Saturday.
The Heritage Centre activities included Tanjore art paintings, a classic South Indian art for participants to learn key techniques for designing and creating their own Tanjore painting masterpiece.
Dr Ambule informed the migrant workers about consular outreach activities, especially passport renewal camps and asked them to participate widely at the High Commission. He thanked the Manpower Ministry for their support to the workers community and their collaboration with High Commission for the workers’ welfare.
