Date:14/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101459451100.htm

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Congress attacks Mayawati’s move

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of indulging in “petty politicking” by cancelling the allotment of land for a rail coach factory at Rae Bareli and announced that party president Sonia Gandhi would visit her constituency as scheduled.

Welcoming the order of the Allahabad High Court that the land should not be transferred to the Gram Samaj, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in charge of party affairs in the State, described Ms. Mayawati’s move as “injudicious” and said her action was not understood since there were no agitations whatsoever against the project.

“It is a politically motivated move and it is not expected of Ms. Mayawati to take such action,” Mr. Singh said at the party headquarters, after the decision of the High Court became known.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the government’s decision was anti-people, anti-development and “smacks of petty politicking of the worst kind,” one that went against the federal concept of India.

Mr. Singhvi said the project was approved in the 2006-07 budget with a capacity to produce 1,000 coaches a year. The project would have given direct employment to at least 10,000 people. Of the total 1,238 acres, land measuring 467 acres was with the government and 800 acres belonged to private parties and the panchayat. The indent for the land was issued once in July last and then again in August.

The Congress said that in June there were reports in media that the government was in the process of cancelling the land allotment by converting it into gram sabha holding, which made it mandatory for clearance by the District Magistrate.

Mr. Singhvi said that if State governments started cancelling such Central projects because of political malafides, the “entire federal structure will be at stake.” If the Centre, which gave nearly 43 per cent of funds to the States, started playing favourites “where would development of India go?”