Too busy for Amethi: Rahul Gandhi misses inauguration of college in his constituency

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday skipped the inauguration of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) in his constituency Amethi citing busy schedule and maintaining that he was informed too late. While Gandhi remained absent, Central ministers Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar and Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the RGIPT and distributed gas connections to 5,000 beneficiaries under the central government's PM Ujjwala scheme.

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ALL ABOUT THE INSTITUTE

The institute has been built at a cost of `431 crore. The previous UPA government at the Centre had allocated Rs 129 crore and the current NDA government sanctioned a further `302 crore for the institute. "The present central government has come up with many schemes for improving the standard of education in the country and it was our priority to start the RGIPT at the earliest. I assure that the government and private petroleum companies will come here for placements and the youths of Amethi will win accolades for the country in near future," Union petroleum and natural gas minsiter Pradhan said while inaugurating the institute.

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WHAT NEXT

Pradhan said that he had sent an invitation to Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi but he refused saying that he was too busy. "Amethi is not new for us, especially for Smriti Irani and the people call her Didi. I will definitely come back here again and spend a night. We promise that the Central government will keep working for Amethi's development. We also propose to come up with a skill development faculty here and it will help over 70 per cent youths to get employment," he added.

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90 LAKH LPG CONNECTIONS GIVEN

According to sources, the Congress vice-president had thanked Pradhan for the invitation but also reminded him that it was a project started by the UPA government. At the event Pradhan said nearly 90 lakh LPG connections have been released under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in a short span of five-and-a-half months since its national launch at Balia, Uttar Pradesh.

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RAHUL'S PROMISES

He also said that the petroleum ministry is hoping to provide LPG connections to every household across Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, in a recorded voice message, Rahul reached out to farmers of Punjab and promised to waive their agriculture debt if Congress comes to power in the state after the 2017 elections. Rahul's 'message', conceptualised by poll strategist Prashant Kishor, is part of the party's mega farmer outreach programme 'Karza Kurki Khatam-Fasal Di Poori Rakam'.

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