Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today recalled his family's close association with Tezpur, which his grandmother Indira Gandhi had visited during the 1962 Indo-China conflict.
"My grandmother was sent by (then) Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during the conflict for relief work. She had told me that she had very fond memories of the place," Gandhi said at an election rally for Tezpur Lok Sabha Congress nominee Bhupen Bora.
The Congress was committed to improve Tezpur's connectivity by renovating the airport, constructing four lane highways, making broad gauge conversion of railway lines besides setting up a central university in the constituency.
He lauded Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for bringing peace and development in the state and improving the condition of the poor, women, tea tribes, farmers and others.
"Gogoiji has been able to achieve this because he decentralised power and empowered people. The Congress does not believe that power should be vested with one person but shared with all," he said.
His party, Gandhi said, was committed to raising about 70 crore people on the poverty borderline to the middle class within the next five years.
"We do not want a government of the elite and rich, but with focus on the poor and the middle class with leaders bowing their heads before the poor," he said.
Referring to the Tezpur Congress candidate, Gandhi said, "Boraji is a youth leader who has zeal in him. He will go to you, work with and for you but if you find him lacking in any way, you can come to me.
