NONGPOH, FEB. 20: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appealed to the youths of the state to help his party build a better Meghalaya.
The Congress heir-apparent and the last of the troika of party bigwigs to campaign in the state was addressing an election rally at Nongpoh, three days before Meghalaya goes to the polls on February 23. “I would appeal to the youths who can work with the people and can think for better Meghalaya to came and join the party… When I see the youths of the region working in Delhi and Bangalore, I feel nice. They are working there because they are capable and can compete with the best,” he said.
Gandhi’s appeal to the youths was clearly a part of the coordinated Congress strategy to woo all sections of the society in the battle of the ballots. During their campaign meetings, prime minister Manmohan Singh had highlighted the economic gains made by state during the past five years, while Congress president Sonia Gandhi touched on emotive local issues like illegal mining and illegal migration at Jowai yesterday.
Rahul said even though Congress has capable leaders, it needs to produce next generation of leaders from different states to take the country forward. “Meghalaya may be small in size compared to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but it is an important state. We cannot ignore any state. Every state is important, every culture is important for the India to grow,” he said.
Dressed in black denim and white kurta, Rahul landed at the makeshift helipad at 3:03 p.m., a good two hours behind schedule. However, about 15,000 people waited patiently since the morning to hear him speak. “There are a lot to be done in so far as tourism and road connectivity are concerned. I am confident that Congress party can and will be able do it,” he said, while appealing to the people to vote for the party.
Gandhi also praised the traditional institutions of the state and spoke about providing better education and health care to the people of the state. By Suraj Joshi
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