Agartala, Feb. 12 (ANI): Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday hit back at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi after he alleged that the central funds to Tripura for development are being diverted to the state's ruling party fund.
Taking a jibe at Gandhi, Yechury said that he speaks the same thing in all the states that he visits.
"Rahul Gandhi has said the same thing in all the states that he visited. And the result of all the states is before the people of the country. It is good for us that he visited Tripura because the results that took place in Bihar, UP and Gujarat is going to be repeated here. He underscores the same facts and speaks the same thing everywhere," said Yechury.
"The question is that the funds provided by the Centre are not the estate of a family or anybody else. The Central Government has to give money to all the states as per constitutional norms," he added.
Yechury further said the Congress Vice President should go and ask Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh who has said it both inside the Parliament as well as outside that in comparison to all the other states of the country Tripura is the only state where the central funds are spent for public welfare.
Addressing an election rally in Agartala on Monday, Gandhi urged the people here to oust the CPI-M in the February 14 state assembly polls so that they could enjoy the benefit of good governance.
"The level of development that should have taken place here is not there. Do you agree on this? CPM has ruled here for 20 years. If you go to other places of the country such as Delhi, Maharashtra you will find that the nation is moving ahead with great force. Because the power has been vested in the hands of the common man. And when the common man is given decision-making power, the state moves forward," Gandhi told an election rally in Sipahijala district.
"In general, there is the government and public in a state. But in Tripura, there is the government, the public and in between is the organisation. And this organistaion works in its own interest. It does not think about the common man, it thinks about itself. And whatever we send from Delhi, be it the MNREGA or money for construction of roads or money for development, it is taken away by the organisation in the middle and the common man just sees it, be it about MNREGA, schools or roads. If it is about road contracts then the money goes to the CPM worker. CPM workers get appointed as teachers and in other jobs. And if you are not a CPM worker then you can get nothing in Tripura," he added.
In Tripura, campaigning has reached its peak as it concludes this evening. All major political parties have organised election rallies with their star campaigners.
Campaigning will come to an end at 4 p.m. in Tripura. Tripura goes to polls on February 14 to elect its 60-member assembly. The assembly polls will seal the fate of 249 candidates.
Tripura has been under the Left Front rule for two decades now and if it wins this time, it will be its fifth straight term in power. (ANI)