Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the Odisha Government is giving the hard earned money of the people of the state to the industrialists, and called for a balance in dealing with the problems of the poor and the industry.
"Odisha is rich and has wealth and resources. There is no shortage of anything in this state. But still the people of the state are poor. The main reason behind this is that the state government gives your hard earned money to big industrialists rather than using it for your benefit," Rahul said while addressing a rally here.
"The benefit is only reaching to some few selected people. It is the primary responsibility of the government to help you," he added.
He said that a balance should be maintained while dealing with the needs of the farmers and the industry.
"The industry needs electricity and water. But the farmers too want these services. You cannot completely forget about the needs of the farmers. This is the thinking of the Congress party," he added.
He also claimed that in 2004 the Congress Party had struck off farmer's loan worth Rs. 70 thousand crores.
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"At that time, the opposition had said the government has wasted this money by giving the money to the farmers. See, if you are helping the farmers, then you are not wasting money. It is a farmer which takes the country forward. And when we help you, we are helping the country," he added.
Rahul staked claim for the Tribal Bill and said the tribals have benefitted from the bill.
He also said that India was taken forward by the poor people, and added in the last ten years the UPA Government has done a lot for the poor.
"You gave us power in 2004 and again in 2009 and we have utilized this power very well. We brought MNREGA in this country. Then we brought Food Security Act. It helped people in getting out of their poor state. We also introduced the Right to Information Bill in the country," he added.