In Sonia & Rahul Gandhi’s model villages, bad roads, no hospitals & dirty drinking water
Politics

In Sonia & Rahul Gandhi’s model villages, bad roads, no hospitals & dirty drinking water

Most residents of Jagdishpur in Amethi and Urwa in Rae Bareli say there's been no development since they were adopted by Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in late 2014.

   
Jagdishpur in UP

Jagdishpur village in Amethi was adopted by Rahul Gandhi under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Amethi/Rae Bareli: Ahead of voting day, resentment brews in Jagdishpur and Urwa, two hamlets in Uttar Pradesh that were adopted by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi under PM Narendra Modi’s model village scheme.

The scheme, the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), was introduced in 2014. It called on each of the Lok Sabha’s 545 and the Rajya Sabha’s 245 MPs to adopt villages for their focused development.

But most residents of Jagdishpur in Amethi and Urwa in Rae Bareli say there’s been no development since they were adopted by Rahul and Sonia over four years ago. The MPs didn’t visit either, they add. The only two new markers of development are a water tank in Jagdishpur and a cemented road in Urwa.

An on-ground analysis by ThePrint revealed that neither village has a hospital, with the education needs of locals served by schools in poor shape that don’t offer higher education. At Urwa, residents said a dirty well was often their sole source of drinking water.

Ahead of voting day on 6 May, many locals conceded that the MPs probably had limited influence to effect change under a state and central government run by a rival party, but not everyone has bought the argument.


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Jagdishpur: Rahul Gandhi

This small village with approximately 60 houses has around 3,600 voters, according to village head Mahadevi. The village has a school till Class 8, a water tank, and a centre to provide basic medicines that residents claim is shut most of the time.

Although a small stretch of road leading to the village has been constructed on Rahul’s watch, there are potholes aplenty in the remaining expanse.

“In a health emergency, there is no hospital and we have to rush to Rokha, which is at least 8 kilometres away,” said Om Prakash, a resident. “Even if a hospital could be constructed nearby, it would help us greatly. At night, when we call the ambulance, they are never ready to come.”

Prakash said he had always supported the Congress, but there was now anger among the people. “He [Rahul] has not even bothered to come to this village since he adopted it in 2014. He is talking about development in his speeches, but his own adopted village is far from developed,” he added.

The village head claimed she had written a number of representations to the Congress president.

“If even one thing was done, I would have said Rahul has done it. I have no problem with him… but he has not done any work at all,” Mahadevi said. “He adopted the village and never came back again.”

Stray cattle is another issue that the village is dealing with, but people blame the state and the central governments for that.

Pradhan mantri ji khud toh chowkidar ban gaye hai aur desh mein gai chhod ke gaon ke logo ko bhi chowkidar bana diya hai (the Prime Minister has become a security guard himself, and he has made us guards too by setting cows loose on the nation),” said Ashutosh, a resident, referring to the PM’s ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign.

“We would end up starving if we didn’t take care of our crops by being up throughout the night.”

Jitendra Yadav, Mahadevi’s son, claimed he had recently met Rahul while he was in Amethi, to request a community/baraat ghar for the village.

“He met me for exact 30 seconds, took my representation and casually threw it away,” said Yadav. “Is this what we expect from our MPs? He has done no work in the village, and doesn’t deserve our votes,” added Yadav, who recently joined the BJP.

But Rahul has his fans too: Some villagers claim he has tried to sanction funds, but the Modi-led central administration and Yogi Adityanath-led state government have been stalling the projects, a charge made by Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh east, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, too.

Residents in Jagdishpur | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

“Water tank, roads, all this has come because of Rahul Gandhi, not because of Modi,” said Vimla Devi, a local resident.

“Why would we lie about this? We are happy with his work. People are trying to use our name to malign him by saying he has not done work. It is the state and the Centre that are not letting him work,” she added.

“He has done a lot of work for us,” said Babloo Mishra, another resident. “The water tank is because of him. Another small road was reconstructed. We are satisfied with his work and we are sure he will be the next prime minister.”

Some residents credit Rahul Gandhi for getting this water tank constructed | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Also read: This is how Rahul and Sonia Gandhi retain Amethi and Rae Bareli


Urwa: Sonia Gandhi

On 2 May, when ThePrint visited Urwa, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had just held a public meet in Rae Bareli, though she skipped her adopted village.

Compared to Jagdishpur, Urwa is bigger, with over 350 houses. But in terms of facilities, they are similar. There is a school that only offers classes till VIII, forcing students to travel almost 12 kilometres for secondary school.

The closest hospital is around 9 kilometres away. There is no community centre, and a number of houses in the middle of the village don’t get water and rely on dirty water from a well, while others draw it from private hand pumps.

“We were not even aware she’s in Rae Bareli. She hasn’t come back since she adopted the village,” said Herolal Maurya, a resident of Urwa, last week.

“The only two things done so far are the construction of a cemented road and the installation of hand pumps. But they are water-less. The village is in a bad shape,” he added.

Some residents of Urwa say that this road, apart from installation of some hand pumps, has been the only development brought to their village | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Village head Radhey Shyam Maurya is also upset. “The only work that has been done is interlocking [cemented] of 160 metres. Apart from that there has been no progress,” he said. “She only came [here] at the time of adopting it.”

For Rajmati, another local, the handpumps installed on Sonia’s watch are an eyesore.

“She got 20-22 handpumps installed but they are of no use as there is no water. Our neighbours, who have a bit of money, got a private handpump installed and I have to literally beg them to allow me to get some water from there,” she told ThePrint.

“As an MP, she should at least see how developed her ‘model’ village is,” she added, visibly upset.

Munni Devi, a widow, is equally distressed about the water. “We know she can’t do everything here. We have the government for that. But she can at least raise our issues,” she added. “We drink this every day,” she said, pointing to a well with dirty water. “And when we fall sick because of that, there is not even a hospital to seek treatment.”

The well in the village in Urwa, residents say, has very dirty water but still use it for household purposes | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Rajmati, however, said she would still vote for Sonia.

Galti ho gayi unse, nahi aayi, dubaara ek mauka aur denge unko (She committed a mistake by not visiting, but we will give her another chance),” she added.

The Congress party claims the Gandhis were being targeted needlessly — that potholes and the like weren’t part of an MP’s mandate.

“I was driving from Gauriganj to Rae Bareli the other day, and this 55-kilometre stretch itself has a number of institutes, including petroleum,” said Aditi Singh, Congress MLA from Rae Bareli Sadar.

“We have not been in government in the state for many years. Why aren’t the SP, the BJP… being held responsible. Why is no one questioning them?” she added. “The MP’s job is to bring big-ticket projects, and Rahul is doing it. The drains not working, or roads with potholes is something the municipal agencies and states need to answer,” she said.

The mood of the village can be summed up by a group of young men at Sareni in Rae Bareli, where Sonia held a public meet: “6 (May) ke baad paanch saal phir koi nahi ayega (no one will come here for five years after 6 May)”.


Also read: How Priyanka is making up for Rahul, Sonia absence in Amethi & Rae Bareli