UP: Cong leaders to review relief schemes in drought-hit areas

Alleging that benefits of government relief measures and funds were not reaching the needy in drought-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh, Congress today said its leaders will tour all water-scarce districts to review implementation of the state and central schemes in UP.
"Party legislators have been instructed to visit the drought-hit districts between May 9 and May 22 along with city and district unit presidents and former peoples' representatives to find out the reality of various schemes of the state and central governments being run there to deal with the situation," Congress Legislature Party leader Pradip Mathur said.
The decision has been taken on the directives of AICC general secretary and in charge of party affairs in UP Madhusudan Mistry, he said.

The visiting teams will check the reality of schemes like MGNREGA, food security, waiver of farmers' loans, among others, and submit their reports by May 31, Mathur said.
Alleging that the benefit of the relief funds and schemes was not reaching the needy, he said in the absence of a proper monitoring system, funds were being misused and its utilisation shown only on papers.
He alleged that at a time of a famine-like situation in the state the central government was merely indulging in "gags", while the state government's schemes were not benefiting the people.

Talks for an alliance with Congress had hit a roadblock

with Mulayam ruling out such a possibility and favouring only merger of parties with SP.
With the Akhilesh faction breaking away from the parent Samajwadi Party, the possibility of an alliance with Congress has suddenly brightened.
As Muslims, the traditional vote bank of Samajwadi Party, appeared to be a confused lot, BSP supremo Mayawati is eyeing the minority community, giving a lion's share of tickets to Muslims, to bolster her party's electoral prospects.
Realising this, SP might join hands with Congress to bring about a greater consolidation of Muslim voters that should boost the allies in terms of countering BSP.

Mayawati has been cautioning Muslims that if they voted for SP, which is already in doldrums, they will be indirectly helping BJP.
BSP has decided to field as many as 97 Muslim candidates of the 403 seats, the highest number fielded by any party in UP so far, perhaps to present itself as a true well-wisher of the community and as a party that can stall BJP in its tracks.
Congress and SP leaders believe that an alliance between them will reassure voters that the regional party's core Yadav-Muslim combination is intact.