RAEBARELI: Ramdin (name changed), a committed Congress voter for the past 25 years, could not stop his two sons from favouring Samajwadi Party in the last assembly elections.
For his unemployed sons, Rs 1,000 unemployment allowance from the Akhilesh Yadav-led government was an enticing offer. His daughter, a student of class XII, swears by the laptop on her study table and showers praise on the government.
"My brothers said to my father, "Tum do Congress ko vote, humein kya diya Congress ne? (You vote for the Congress, what has it given to us)," she said.
Ramdin's is not a lone case. After the Congress's dismal loss to SP in 2012 assembly elections, the state Congress unit went for a self-analysis. "We spoke to our booth level workers and garnered feedback from voters. It showed that freebies were the reason why the SP won," said KL Sharma, Sonia Gandhi's representative in Rae Bareli.
The potholed and chipped off Maharajganj-Haidergarh road says a lot about Rae Bareli's civic indicators.
"Sonia had come here to file nominations, didn't she see the roads for herself," said SB Maurya, an advocate.
Indian Telephone Industries' Raebareli manufacturing unit, set up in 1973, is on the verge of a closure. Production is zero, strength has reduced and government sends package to only pay wages. Dariyapur Sugar Mill, Modi Carpets, Seena Textiles, Upcon Cables, Spinning Wheel Factory, all started by Indira Gandhi, have shut down. Vishaka Industries has set up base but locals do not stand to gain much. "I went there for a job but was turned out," said Shivkumar Maurya from Maharajganj.
None of the 1,434 farmers whose land was acquired for the Rs 2,500-crore rail coach factory in Lalganj have been given a job there. They have been absorbed in Group-D level jobs in various offices of Northern Railway's Lucknow zone.
"NIFT set up by Sonia Gandhi has no quota for Rae Bareli students," Singh says. Rae Bareli has a rural base, institutes like NIFT cannot be of any help without better higher education facilities, he added.
Feroze Gandhi Degree College, set up in 1958, was not developed any further in terms of courses. "Some of the departments have shut down," says advocate Mohd Amir Ansari.
There has been no action on the country's first all-women's university that Sonia Gandhi announced in Rae Bareli in 2012.
"Once elections are over, things will speed up," says Raebareli Congress Committee office in charge Vijay Shankar Agnihotri.
Primary schools are in a dilapidated condition. At Mahatma Gandhi Inter College in Aman Nagar, the ceiling drips.
"Supervisors come and assure we will get an Aanganwadi centre but nothing has happened," said Aanganwadi 'sahayika' Santosh Kumari.
"I am a NREGA job card holder for five years. I got employment only twice. Full wages have not been paid still," said Shiv Kumar in Halor.
Jogeshwar is a resident of Purasi village, a BPL person waiting for benefits under Indira Awas Yojna.
"Officers come and note down my details and go away. I never got a shelter."
"I took my sister-in-law for delivery at an Aaganwadi centre. They did not provide me any free medicine but asked to purchase all the medicines from outside. Where is the government stock of free medicines," asks Harikesh.
Approach to the local MLA is restrictive. "We wave to him and he gives us a blank look," said Ramkishore.
The 'bijli-paani-sadak' factor ails Rae Bareli badly. Triveni Prasad of Hilor pays Rs 50 per hour for using a tubewell to irrigate his field and at least Rs 150 per hour for a generator. The village has been demanding access to Sharda canal for long but nothing has been done. At least 10 gram sabhas for years have been demanded a bridge on Maharajganj drain but in vain. Every year one or two people drown in it.
The power supply is erratic and water supply is disrupted for days. At primary health centres, said Jamil, "For a headache, the doctor will refer you to Lucknow".
Sonia Gandhi has brought AIIMS, but, so far, only the OPD is functional.
Voters in Rae Bareli fail to understand why despite their unflinching support to Congress, the constituency is devoid of the VIP sheen. "She (Sonia) says whenever she wants to expedite her projects, the state government throws a spanner. The same state government bails her (central government) out whenever she is on a sticky wicket, take for instance the nuclear deal crisis," said Buddhilal.
"At the time of elections, local leaders come and ask for votes. They never return after that. Sonia or Rahul never come to our village," said Rajjb Ali, a mason at Poore Prithvi village.
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