PM pulls up BSP Govt. for not cooperating with Centre

Amroha, Feb 27 (ANI): Accusing the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Government of not cooperating with the Centre in the implementation of its public welfare schemes, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday promised the voters in Uttar Pradesh that the Congress Party would redress woes of the farmers if it came to power in the state.

Dr. Singh, who shared the dais with Civil Aviation Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, lamented the difficulties faced by the farmers in India's largest and most populous state.

"The farmers here are facing a lot of difficulties these days. They are not being provided with seeds and fertilizer on time. Sugarcane farmers in particular, are not receiving their dues on time from sugar mills, he said, while addressing the huge gathering here.

"We will give maximum importance to the development of agriculture. Education and healthcare will also be improved. I also want to tell you that our government's programmes and policies have not benefited Uttar Pradesh, because the state government made no efforts to cooperate with us," he added, while urging the voters to give the Congress Party an opportunity to govern the state for development and progress.

Meamwhile, with Uttar Pradesh entering the sixth phase of assembly polls tomorrow, the concerned authorities have stepped up security measures to avoid any untoward incident.

Over 800 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed apart from state police personnel for free and fair elections.

Over two crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise for 68 seats, which is spread over 13 districts of the state including Saharanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Agra, Bagpath, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura.

Tuesday's phase would decide the fate of youth face of RLD Jayant Chaudhary, Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya, deputy leader of BJP Legislative Party Hukkum Singh and former minister Rajveer Singh, who is also son of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major political parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

The first, second, third, fourth and fifth phases of polling occurred on February 8, 11, 15, 19, and 23 respectively.

A new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)