Faced with a tongue-lashing mother-son duo of Rae Bareilly MP Sonia Gandhi and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi on the law and order front coupled with the fear of a resurgent Congress, UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav is now in combat mode. What’s his weapon? He plans to take on the Congress with ‘‘a-programme-a-day’’ campaign.Yadav has earmarked some of the government’s proposed development programmes for a self-guided launch in the crucial districts, thereby reaping benefits for himself and his Samajwadi Party by way of publicity.Over the past one month, Yadav has released around Rs 400 crore in development schemes in districts as far as Kannauj, Badayun, Bulandshahr and Allahabad. The projects range from inauguration of bridges and roads, scholarships for higher studies to girl students and rural electrification schemes to widows’ pension. Says a state official, ‘‘It is no wonder that the SP has won elections to 36 out of the 42 district Co-operative Banks boards which went to polls last fortnight.’’On March 13, Yadav was in Ghaziabad and Patla to inaugurate the Ch. Charan Singh Intermediate College with RLD’s Ajit Singh. He also sanctioned Rs 2 crore for road development, drains and public works.On March 19, during a visit to the All-India Bar Association in Delhi, he announced a Rs 30 crore allocation for building of chambers and libraries at the district and tehsil level. On March 21, he was in Farrukhabad and Kannauj to release Rs 2.90 crore as scholarships to girl students. On March 26, in Etawah, he announced the sanction of more development projects, yet to be quantified by the government. On March 28, in Oraiya, Yadav announced the sanction of Rs 5.86 crore as scholarships for 2,900 girl students from Etawah and Oraiya. Two days later, he inaugurated a Rs 5-crore Haj House in Ghaziabad.On April 2, in Bulandshahr, he released Rs 36.89 crore for road development. Two days later in Badayun, he announced the launch of several projects, yet to be tabulated by state officials. On April 8, in Ballia, Yadav announced more schemes, yet to be quantified. In Kosambi and Allahabad, he released Rs 48 crore for infrastructure development works. Two days ago, in Agra, Yadav released Rs 150 crore for old age pension and road works.
