“There should manufacturing units and food processing strategies. I will carry forward the work done by my mother [Sonia Gandhi] and my grandmother [Indira Gandhi],” Gandhi said.
In the 6-minute video, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our family has a relationship of over 100 years with Amethi and Raebareli.” He said the relationship with Raebareli and Amethi is different.
“It is like a family, friendship and affection. Like I have my relationship with my mother and sister, I have the same relationship with Raebareli. I also like the food there and the ‘Arhar ki Dal’ made there, you can’t find anywhere else,” Rahul Gandhi said.
He added, “For me, Amethi and Raebareli are the same and whenever Amethi and Raebareli require us, we will be available.”
Rahul Gandhi posted this video with the caption, “Raebareli and Amethi are not just constituencies for us, they are our ‘karmabhoomi’, every corner of which is holding the memories of generations.”
“Looking at old photographs with my mother, I also remembered my father and grandmother, who started this tradition of service and was carried forward by me and my mother,” he said in a post in Hindi on X.
“This relationship of more than 100 years old, built on the foundation of love and trust, has given us everything. Whenever Amethi and Raebareli calls us, we will be there,” he also said while sharing the video.
Rahul, Sonia Gandhi recalls family legacy
In the video, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are seen watching family pictures in Amethi and Raebareli as they remembered their connect with the people of both Amethi and Raebareli.
Sonia Gandhi said she started visiting Amethi in 1982 when they used to go there for holding medical camps and several good doctors from Delhi used to always work there and offer help.
“Panditji started this political life with the area in 1921 and a farmer leader Baba Ram Chandra shared his grief with Panditji. Rahul’s grandfather Feroze Gandhi was the MP from Raebareli in 1952,” Sonia Gandhi said, adding that after his demise, his grandmother Indira Gandhi started representing Raebareli.
She recalled, “We used to visit village to village during weddings or deaths and even visited during floods or drought and visited people during to attend villages. They accepted me immediately and I shared a relationship like a daughter and daughter-in-law.”
Rahul Gandhi said that in 1982, “when my father went there, he worked hard and initiated a lot of development work and transformed Amethi completely.”
“In Raebareli, my grandmother had initiated a lot of development and it was ahead of Amethi. But, when my father went to Amethi, he ushered in a lot of developmental works and then it looked as if Amethi is ahead of Rae Bareli,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi recalls Congress’ projects in Amethi
Rahul Gandhi said when the Congress’ government was formed, he and his mother had initiated a lot of work and ensured road connectivity and constructed national highways and other roads. “We also started self help groups and helped lakhs of women and opened their bank accounts that transformed their lives,” he said.
Gandhi said they also opened institutions there like the Petroleum institute and CRPF training camp.
“The biggest work that could have transformed Amethi and Rae areli, and was stopped by the BJP, was the food park, where 40 separate storage would have been created. I felt that that food park would have changed the face of Amethi and Raebareli…” Rahul Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat and is pitted against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha election against Sonia Gandhi.
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Published: 14 May 2024, 10:54 PM IST